Tri-National Agricultural Accord Welcomes Texas Trading Partners

Today I was proud to extend a Texas-sized welcome to agriculture leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada as we kicked off the 20th Tri-National Agricultural Accord in Grapevine, Texas. The honor was made even more special as this is the first time our trading partners and industry leaders convened in the Lone Star State.



Over the next four days, commissioners, secretaries, ministers and directors of agriculture departments from our three nations will explore trade opportunities, job creation and other collaborative strategies for working together to strengthen our nations’ agriculture industries and overall economies. Fittingly, this year’s theme is “Neighbors in Trade – Partners in Jobs,” so it seems appropriate that Former Mexican President Vicente Fox will offer the keynote address.

They say there is strength in numbers, but I also believe there is success in unity. The Tri-National Agricultural Accord is where strength and success will merge to the benefit of all three countries. It’s also where the Lone Star State will shine brightly on an international stage as we look for future opportunities for growing our powerful agriculture industry.

Cotton Losses Due to Drought Will Literally Hit Your Pockets

We are receiving some much needed rain this week, but the dramatic impact of this drought is beginning to materialize and the outlook is grim.

According to Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. this may be the first year there is a 100-percent abandonment of the 2 million-acre dryland cotton crop in their service area around Lubbock. That area, by the way, accounts for about 80 percent of the state’s cotton production.

When you consider Texas produced 43 percent of the nation’s cotton crop last year, or 7.9 million bales of the U.S. total of 18.1 million bales, the potential loss spells big trouble.

A huge reduction in cotton is not only bad news for the $1.4 billion cotton industry and its 38,100 employees, but also for parents buying blue jeans and socks for their kids. Less cotton will likely mean higher prices for the cotton-based products you and I buy off the shelves or the rack.

Agriculture is a tremendously fulfilling enterprise. If you have ever grown even a single plant in your home, you understand the amazing and delicate process of nurturing a single seed. Magnify that scenario by the massive amounts of food we eat, clothes we wear and all the other agricultural products that enrich our daily lives, and you get an idea of the devastating impact of entire crop loss.

Let’s keep our cotton farmers, and the communities that depend on them, in our prayers during these severe drought conditions and extremely challenging times.

Drought on the Heels of Wildfires Adds to Texas Losses

While Texas wildfires have made for gloomy headlines this year, they tell only part of the grim story facing our state. With 2.6 million acres impacted by fires since November, we now also are looking at the dire possibility of record-breaking, single-year losses due to drought. According to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service report highlighted in this AP story, agricultural losses in Texas this year already total $1.5 billion. As the story mentions, if dry conditions persist into summer, we could surpass the 2006 record of $4.1 billion in losses. To read the full story, click here.

Agriculture Jobs are Growing!

I just read some great news for high school seniors debating which career path to take. According to an article in Cattle Network based on a study by Purdue University and the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, ag-related careers are showing promise.

Over the next five years, job opportunities in this broad field of study are said to be even better than during 2005-10. I think this has a great deal to do with the diversity of agriculture and the fact that consumers are wanting more information about where their food and fiber comes from and how it is handled.

I hope this new interest in agriculture will influence the curricula of the many outstanding agricultural programs in Texas. We need bright minds to bring innovative thinking to the future of agriculture in the Lone Star State.
You can read the entire Cattle Network article below:

Report: Job Market Expected To Improve For Ag-Related Grads
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Employment opportunities for college graduates in agriculture and related academic fields are expected to be better over the next five years than from 2005-10, according to a report by Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The "Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in Food, Renewable Energy and the Environment" report estimates 54,400 jobs in agriculture-related sectors will be added in the United States annually between 2010 and 2015. In that same period, 53,500 students are expected to graduate each year from U.S. colleges of agriculture and in the life sciences, veterinary medicine, forestry and natural resources, and allied non-agricultural fields.

"Depending on their area of expertise, there should be good opportunities for graduates, with some growth in total jobs during the next five years," said Allan Goecker, associate director of academic programs for Purdue's College of Agriculture and one of the report's authors.

A summary of the report is available online at http://www.ag.purdue.edu/USDA/employment

Nearly three-fourths of the new jobs will be in business and science occupations; 15 percent in agriculture and forestry production; and 11 percent in education, communication and government services.

"In the business and management fields, occupations in sales and service continue to be the bellwether for employment opportunities," Goecker said. "I also think we're going to see more emphasis on people who have expertise and experience in financial planning and management and in environmental compliance."

Other fields with above-average job growth through 2015 include food science, plant sciences, biological engineering, public practice veterinary medicine, specialty crop production, forest restoration, precision agriculture, crop management consulting, climate change analysis, distance education and natural resources conservation, Goecker said.

"Many of these areas are tied to food and renewable energy, which are considered necessities," he said. "Five years ago we were talking about opportunities in the 'green' industry, particularly areas such as turf management and landscape architecture. Right now the job market in those areas is not very strong because they tend to be viewed as luxury services."

The future job market for college graduates with degrees in food, renewable energy and environmental fields will depend on macroeconomic conditions and retirements, consumer food choices, public policy decisions, and global market shifts in population, income, food and energy, Goecker said.

"There will be niches in the market where we will be undersupplied in the work force and areas of the market where we'll probably have more graduates than the market can accommodate," he said.

The report is based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Center for Educational Statistics, and colleges and universities.

Source: Allan Goecker, Purdue University

Forecast Looks Bright for Texas Cotton

It’s good to be able to travel and say, “If Texas were its own country, we would be the fifth-largest, cotton-producing nation in the world!” So, you can just imagine in a state where cotton is king, hearing some good news forecasts for cotton prices over the next 10 years is extremely welcome.

According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, agricultural economists are indicating an increased world demand for cotton and overall lower production that will likely drive up prices, adding dollars to our economy. Considering agriculture comprises about 9.5 percent of our entire state economy, a healthy cotton industry will bring more jobs and investment to Texas - something that will benefit all Texas consumers. At a time when our economy is filled with uncertainty, we need all the positive news we can get.

Urban students take an interest in agriculture

Agriculture remains a big portion of our state’s economy, accounting for almost 9.5 percent of Texas’ Gross State Product - the sum of all value added by industries within the state. Expanded science and technology have been tremendous catalysts for increasing the importance of agriculture.

As our state’s population continues to expand, particularly in the urban areas, some may mistakenly think interest in agriculture’s importance and the need for agriculture education have diminished. Not so, according to a recent article in the Dallas Morning News.

“Our program is probably going stronger in the urban areas than it is in the rural areas,” said Gerald Young, executive director of the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas.

To read the entire article, click here.