Don’t Call Me An Expert - This is just the way I do things

Farming With Urban Sprawl

The fertile tip of land stretching from the Red River in northeast Texas south through the Dallas/Fort Worth area is home to our family farm. Howe, Texas, approximately 60 miles north of Dallas is where my brother, Alton, and nephew, Jay and I continue the traditions my mother and father started years ago.

Dallas is right in the heart of the Blackland Prairie. This fertile land supported cotton farms nearly 125 years ago. Eventually, cotton was overproduced and the organic matter in the soil began depleting and we had to find another alternative. In the 1970s, we made the transition from cotton to wheat, grain sorghum and corn with the help of an extension service agronomist. As a result, all of our farming patterns changed. Wheat had always been a secondary crop, but as we made the transition, we found it easier, less labor intensive and a lower risk.

Today, we grow Soft Red Winter Wheat, whereas about 80% of Texas grows Hard Red Winter Wheat. Our average rainfall of about 39 inches allows us to grow crops very similar to what is grown in Illinois.

Although my family is sustaining the lifestyle our parents began in the 1930s, we face the issue of urban sprawl. Encroaching developers continue to put a strain on our fragile lifestyle. Developers are buying property and moving close enough for us to feel the pinch. Not only are we gaining new neighbors, but we are also gaining new issues.

Development
With each new generation, fewer and fewer producers are competing for the diminishing acreage to sustain their traditions. Each year, my brother, my nephew and I will lose one or two farms to development.  With the shrinking acreage north of Dallas, many of the area farmers have begun to look for land in east Texas, pushing them farther from the housing development and even further from their traditions.

As a ‘commuter’ farmer, I drive 45 miles to work some days. We began acquiring land in the next county, leaving us with 35 miles between our two shops. Instead of moving machinery back and forth, we bought two sets of equipment. Unlike other regions of the country, 50-acres in the Blackland area is considered a good sized field.

Farming Practices
Our traditions and farming practices are continually changing with the seasons. For example, our use of aerial spraying is no longer practical. Because of the proximity to housing developments, we have stopped all aerial applications. With the location of our farms, we have to be environmentally conscious of our farming practices. Our particular area supplies water to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The watershed flows into the lakes in the Dallas area. As a result, many of our local producers are putting grass filter strips around their fields to help reduce the potential runoff of fertilizer and chemicals.

Marketing Our Crops
Up until nearly five years ago, most of the grain in northeast Texas would have gone to the ‘country elevator.’ The elevator would then send the grain by railroad to the terminal markets in Fort Worth or to the export facilities in Houston. Because most of the wheat is exported, about ten years ago some producers began taking their grain directly to the terminal markets via semi-trucks. The bypass of the country elevators created a transition to on-farm storage and hauling with their own trucks, allowing producers to market their grain throughout the year. This transition was more cost effective for us . However, the majority of the grain is still marketed through the country elevator system.

Landlords
Most area farmers do not own their land because land prices have become so expensive. Developers buying land for investment purposed rent it back to local producers. As a result, farmers renting land could have anywhere from 20-100 landlords. Our family farms 10,500 acres of cropland leaving us with 78 landlords. The paperwork is a headache. For instance, our landowners include Chinese and Canadian investment groups, and residents of New York, Florida, California and everywhere in between. All too often, our landlords will want to begin developing their land. Depending on the season, the landlord will provide either compensation for the crop or our investments in the crop. Unfortunately, it is a fact of life in this part of the country – it goes with the territory.

Nevertheless, there are many investors who see the incentive to have us farm the land for them. In Texas, the Agricultural Exemption Tax base allows land designated for agricultural use to be taxed based on the agricultural value. If it isn’t designated as agricultural, the owner pays taxes on the market value of the land.

Farming in the Blacklands poses many challenges, but it is our home. Of course, we cannot compete with urban development and the need to expand. With the continued influence of urban sprawl, it will only become harder and harder for us to sustain not only American agriculture, but also the traditions that keep us rooted to the land.

Jack is the current president of the Texas Wheat Producers Association and a director on the Texas Wheat Producers Board. The Texas Wheat Producers Board & Association is a unique partnership working to protect the future of the Texas wheat farmer. With the combined efforts of the Board and association, we are able to make a difference throughout the industry, from research and education, to state and national legislation. For more information about Texas Wheat, visit: www.texaswheat.org.