Innovations for Texas agriculture discussed at Plant Protection Association Conference

Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259, b-fannin@tamu.edu

BRYAN – Texas agriculture industry leaders, producers and university researchers heard the latest in emerging innovations for agriculture at the 27th Texas Plant Protection Association Conference in Bryan recently.

Innovations for Texas Agriculture – Strategies for Implementation was the theme of the conference. The challenge will be producing enough food to meet an ever-expanding world population, according to experts.

“In looking at the theme for this year’s conference, I’m reminded this comes at a very good time for us. We need to think about doubling food production over the next 35 years to meet the anticipated world food demands of 9 billion people by the year 2050,” said Dr. Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M University, College Station during his opening remarks.

“To achieve this goal, it’s going to take continued technological innovations, new and stronger partnerships between public and private sectors, and increased awareness by the citizens of this country on the importance of food production systems – not only in protecting the economic well-being and vitality of rural communities, but the role in protecting our national security.”

Hussey cited the late Dr. Norman Borlaug, who was distinguished professor of international agriculture at Texas A&M, reminding attendees the importance of agriculture: “Everything in this world can wait; agriculture can not.”

Former Congressman Charles Stenholm, senior policy advisor with OWA Law in Washington, was the featured general session speaker. He discussed current politics and policy in the U.S. and made a call to the return of regular order in Congress.

“Our political system is broken, and there is good reason that 85 percent of you say that in poll after poll it is broken,” Stenholm said. “I’m in agriculture, and I’m an optimist. We are going to fix it, and you are the ones who are going to fix it.”

        Stenholm said regarding the future of the U.S., “there are a lot of questions. We now owe $18.8 trillion, soon to be $19 trillion, and $80 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Anybody in business, including you knows that can’t go on.”

Stenholm said when evaluating agriculture policy, agriculture is in the minority.

“We are the minority. Accept it,” he said.

He said to fix the current system, there needs to be a return to “regular order,” directly referencing House Speaker Paul Ryan’s recent pledge.

Stenholm said when it comes to the future of agriculture, it’s going to take assembling the best ideas (of) research,  Extension educators, farmers and ranchers.

“If (the idea) requires legislation, then get it in bill form, introduce it, get it referred to the appropriate committee, hear from special interest groups, have the mark up and let people with different ideas vote. Let’s then introduce amendments, put it together and improve the legislation and improve it by getting a majority.”

He recalled his time spent as a lobbyist, or as an “educator” for the oil and gas industry.

“I’ve spent a lot of time trying to keep the oil and gas industry and agriculture together instead of fighting,” he said. “That’s a difficult thing to do. The last time I checked you can’t produce food, feed, fiber and fertilizer without oil and gas. That’s not going to change in the next 30 to 40 years based on anything we know today based on science. And you can’t produce oil and gas today without food, feed, fuel and fertilizer. And all 320 million Americans can’t do without both of us (agriculture, oil and gas).

“That’s the kind of coalition we need to do a better job of talking about and finding supporters in the U.S. Congress on both sides of the aisle.”

Stenholm said Congress needs to do a better job of fixing the problem instead of having a political issue. Issues such as climate change and water quality are issues that will continue to affect agriculture. He said ‘good ideas’ need to be developed and taken to Congress to facilitate research funding.

“That’s where a lot of you in this room come in,” he said. “Thinking ahead, what kind of research do we need to provide so we have a good story to take to our good friends in Congress and get 218 votes? The other side out there is saying we don’t need you. But how is the world going to feed itself without new technology?”