WESLACO - The current class of TALL, the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program, will tour the Lower Rio Grande Valley and northern Mexico this week (Oct. 24 – 27), as part of its two-year intensive training program offered by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
The class of 25, including two members from the Valley, will gather Tuesday at the Country Inn and Suites in McAllen to hear from various local leaders. They will tour ag-related sites of interest on Wednesday, including Cameron County Irrigation District #9, the sugar mill in Santa Rosa, Rio Farms in Monte Alto, and J&D Produce and the Edinburg Citrus Association in Edinburg. A dinner and reception will be held in their honor at Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen.
On Thursday, the group departs for Monterrey where they’ll tour a meat packing plant, a tractor implement factory and a brewery.
“An evening reception will provide an opportunity for Mexican leaders and class participants to interact and develop communication for future relations,” said Dr. Jim Mazurkiewicz, coordinator for the TALL program.
Activities on Friday will include visits to a Monterrey produce terminal and HEB’s Mexican grocery distribution system.
Future on-site tours and seminars will take the group to Russia, Poland, Washington, D.C., New York, Austin, the Texas Panhandle, and Houston.
Patterned after similar agricultural leadership programs in other states, TALL began in Texas in 1986 and is funded by private gifts and grants. The TALL program prepares young men and women who are dedicated to agriculture for leadership challenges. The competitive program includes seminars with experts, on-site tours, meetings with business and government leaders, international study and personal development.
To date, 162 Texans have completed the extensive training program. The current TALL VII class began its two-year program in July and includes Javier Moreno of Edinburg and David Drews of McAllen.
Moreno is owner/manager of La Negra Cattle Company, producers of purebred Red Brahman and Simbrah cattle. Drews is district sales and marketing manager of Asgrow Vegetable Seeds.
The theme of TALL’s Valley/Mexico tour is “Dealing With Change,” and is designed to provide class members insight into various issues including NAFTA, changing markets, water, new business strategies, labor, imports, citrus, vegetables, and immigration.
To apply for membership in future classes, or for information on how to support TALL, visit the website at http://taex-tall.tamu.edu/, or contact Masurkiewicz at Texas A&M in College Station at (979) 845-1554, or send an e-mail toj-mazurkiewicz@tamu.edu.
-30-