Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique areas of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places and their activities of the Texas Hill Country.
It’s no secret that Texas farmers and ranchers are facing a variety of challenges. But thanks to the progress made during the 89th Texas Legislature, some of these issues are being addressed. In this episode of the podcast, Tom Fox speaks with Carter Keating, the founder and executive director of Texas Agriculture Connection, a nonprofit advocacy organization, about the progress made during the recent legislative session.
Keating explains how House Bill 1750 and House Bill 23 Eight strengthened the existing right to Farm statute, and how House Bill Nine used fiscal policy to access federal resources for Texas to develop and operate broadband infrastructure. Additionally, he talks about the New Water Supply for Texas Fund, which was established to finance water supply projects and develop 7-million-acre feet of new water supplies over the next ten years. He also discusses the Texas Water Fund, which provides funding for repair and replacement of water infrastructure, awareness programs, and rural political subdivisions.
Keating also explains the importance of broadband access. He points out that 7 million Texans across 3 million households lack quality, high speed broadband Internet access, which can have a negative impact on education access, health care outcomes, and businesses’ ability to compete. House Bill Nine made use of some very smart fiscal policy to put up matching funds to get access to federal resources for Texas to develop and operate broadband infrastructure.
The organization also worked on House Bill 2851, which would increase the maximum size of a grant under the Young Farmer Grant Program from twenty thousand dollars to thirty-five thousand dollars. House Bill One, the general appropriations bill, appropriated $500,000 to the Young Farmer Grant Program over the next two years.
Keating also talks about his plans to travel across the state to solicit the opinions of farmers and ranchers and other agricultural producers. He explains that the issues for farmers are fairly consistent across the state, with water, broadband, and infrastructure being important issues that span across the state of Texas.
In addition to the legislative progress made, there are 14 proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot in November. Texas Agriculture Connection and TAC are in support of voting yes on three proposed constitutional amendments: HJR 126, HJR 125, and SJR 75.
Finally, Keating discusses the 18-month period between the end of one regular session and the start of the next regular session. He explains that Texas Agriculture Connection and other organizations will be focusing on hearing from farmers and ranchers about their issues over the next 18 months.
This episode provides an insightful look into the progress made in the Texas Legislature and the issues that are important to Texas farmers and ranchers. It’s clear that the right to farm, broadband infrastructure, water infrastructure, and young farmer funding and support are all important issues for Texas farmers and ranchers. With the progress made during the 89th Texas Legislature and the upcoming constitutional amendments, Texas farmers and ranchers can look forward to a brighter future.
Key Highlights
· Assessment of Agricultural initiatives in the 88th Legislature
· Right to Farm
· Water Infrastructure
· Broadband Infrastructure
· Constitutional amendments
Resources
Carter Keating on LinkedIn
Tom Fox
