Agriculture. It is the foundation of every successful country. From large-scale operations designed to produce food and fiber for national and global use to local, family-owned farms that focus on their home and surrounding community, the agricultural industry is an important aspect to our society.
However, for a majority of American citizens, the process of food production and daily life on the farm is a distant and sometimes confusing idea. Many people are three generations removed from agriculture, with more and more people leaving their rural roots for the hustle and bustle of urban life. This has caused a disconnect between the average consumer and the all-American producer.
Texas Agrability, a program within the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is teaming up with local agriculturalists to help narrow the gap between consumers and local agriculture with a series of farm tours and workshops.
Citizens of the Brazos Valley will have the opportunity to tour their farm at Millican Reserve, which produces seasonal crops and eggs. The items produced at the farm are sold locally at farmers markets and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share. This is a great opportunity for consumers who purchase locally-grown products to see exactly where their food comes from and the process it goes through to get to their table.
A workshop will be held on the Texas A&M University campus in conjunction with the farm tour. There, Texas Agrability will host several sessions with topics including rural business ideas, an introduction to business planning, possibilities for farming and ranching with a disability, a discussion on marketing resources, financial funding sources for farming and ranching, and identifying resources to support agricultural business operations.
The is no cost for either event, but interested parties need to register at https://tamucehd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3JEcpKlliZTc0lv. You have the option of attending either the farm tour, the workshop or both.
The farm tour takes place on Friday, March 9, at Millican Reserve, beginning at 4 p.m. The tour is expected to last three hours and will included food and networking opportunities. The workshop will take place the following day on Saturday, March 10, in the Agriculture & Life Sciences (AGLS) Building at Texas A&M. It begins at 8 a.m. and is expected to last until 5 p.m. that evening.
