Gary Joiner - Spokesman, Texas Farm Bureau Joins Houston Morning News

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What happens to the family farm with kamonomics. Let's talk
to Gary Joyner. He's a spokesperson with the Texas Farm Bureau.
This whole price fixing, price gouging thing, especially at the
grocery store. We know the markup at your average grocery
store is maybe about one and a half one point six,
one point seven percent something like that. Gary, I'm guessing
that the family farmers aren't necessarily marking up the things

(00:22):
they're selling those grocery stores very much, are they.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
No, you're exactly right, Jimmy. Farmers and ranchers are price takers,
they're not price makers, and they're really vulnerable to the
ebbs and flows of international market, weather conditions, all that.
It's a difficult time right now in Texas. Farmers and
ranchers and the economics are very important, and they're watching
the presidential election right now like so many just to
see what some of those policies might be going forward.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, I know, policy is a big deal. I mean,
you've got your American Farm Bureau Federation, which is trying
to deal with Washington all the time. But when you
get down to the individual farmers, like the small farmers,
and a lot of them are big farmers, but they're
individual farmers in the state of Texas. How do you
protect against the encroachment of the big business models. How

(01:09):
do you these are people who have children and families
and property that they have to defend as well in
terms of taxation and the gasoline I mean, it's just endless.
I don't think people realize what farmers do.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Thank you're right, Sarah. Ninety seven percent of Texas farms
are family farms. They may be incorporated, but their family run,
their family operated, and what they're looking for is just
a business climate that's favorable. And a president can help
dictate that through their cabinet, through the USDA, through regulatory
pressures and reforms, and just said physical policy. What are

(01:45):
they doing to control things like inflation helping the economic
bottom line, because right now a lot of Texas farmers
and ranchers are struggling to make a profit because costs
are up and income is down.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well in ranchers, I think, in particular, have it tough.
And we have an administration right now that is not
favorable towards the meat industry, the beef industry certainly. What
do you think the future is for Texas ranchers, I
think they're going to have to self promote. I think
you've got programs that help promote research and promotion through
the Texas be checkof in which cattle producers contribute actually

(02:16):
to those funds to do so.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
And you're looking for trade opportunities. You want an administration
and a president that's trying to open up new markets.
There are world consumers out there that want Texas and
US beef, and we need an administration that's looking to
do that, pursuing those goals and trying to get new
trade agreements in place.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
I know that driving between Houston and Lavaca County, I'm
watching all the rice fields give way to ever growing
suburban Houston. Is this happening all across the state and
what does that pretend ultimately for our power as an
agriculture state.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
You're right, we're getting more land taken out of agriculture
right now, to production, to development, to things that you know,
Texas as a growing state is looking for land and
oftentimes they're going to those rural outlying areas to take that.
And almost a thousand acres a day are being lost
in terms of development and out of production there's a

(03:13):
critical mass. At one point, do we run out on
enough land to feed and clothe our country. Food security
is national security. That's a big concern. We've got to
maintain to the farmland that we have right now.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Well, I think even if your average American doesn't really
understand what a farmer does, they do understand if you
go to the grocery store and there's nothing there to buy, Yeah, but.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
They think it comes from door dash and the grocery store.
That's where my food comes from.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, Well that's where the education has to happen. I
guess I think we understand it better in Texas than
most places, but some places don't seem to understand that. Gary,
thanks for joining us. Appreciate it. Gary Joyner with the
Texas Farm herea with