Texas Study Tour Week 1

19 Nov Texas Study Tour Week 1

Day 1 – Sunday 9th – Texas Capitol Building and Meeting with the Texas Farm Credit Association

We kicked off our first full day in Austin with a group tour of the Capitol building from Patrick Dudley, husband of Dr Jean Dudley from the state university of agriculture who has been the key contact in the planning of the whole trip. Patrick used to work in the Capitol building in the Texas Department of Agriculture, his role is communicating with the state administered levy boards which cover 12 different commodities. Several of the key commodities are levied by federal boards like eggs, sorghum and dairy.

The Capitol building of Texas was built in the 1880s by a large number of Scottish stonemasons, it had an underground extension in the 1990s creating 2 floors underground and 2 floors of car-parking. The magnificent building housed both the Senate and the larger House of Representatives. Patrick gave us a great overview of both the history and the operation of the state politics. The Battle of the Alamo has been an influential point in the history of the state and it’s relations with Mexico, it’s neighbour. The Texan goddess of liberty faces south, towards Mexico unlike all other US Capitol buildings which face North. Patrick did emphasis the Texan approach to being different from other US states on multiple things.

Following our tour around the Capitol building we hopped on the coach for a 4 hour drive to Tyler, en-route we stopped for some lunch at a mall with 150 petrol pumps, the scale of most things in Texas is non-comparable to Scotland. We met with Joe and Kyle from Farm Credit who kindly provided us with a great steak dinner. Farm Credit is the largest bank in Agriculture in the USA and is a cooperative owned by it’s farming customers which is quite a common business structure in the USA for banking institutions, they were surprised to hear we have no coop banks in the UK. Another key difference was although they have nearly 40% of the lending exposure to agriculture in the US they have numerous competitors and were shocked to realise how few banks we had facing agriculture in Scotland and the UK.

The timing of this meeting was useful to gain a business insight into the current state of the different farming sectors in Texas, similar to the UK, beef is resilient and Joe alluded to a lot of recent lending towards herd expansions off the back of this. Cotton is a large commodity in Texas and we passed a few mills and farms on the way to Tyler, they are currently experiencing a depression based around market pressures from Asia due to Trumps tariffs, however good yields have been keeping the afloat.

Issues in the sector sounded familiar, the ageing population of Texan farmers, average age being 64 which is higher than Scotland at 60. Related to this access to land for new entrant and young farmers was a huge problem with the bank being the only option to provide start-up capital. It was interesting to hear how interest rates seemed substantially higher and the higher loan to value rates that were offered compared to what we were aware of in Scotland. The value of mineral rights owned on farmland were interesting and untied to the land as well so a farmer can own the land but not the rights to minerals on the same plot, with the prevalent oil industry in Texas mineral rights are not readily traded and are a ‘goldmine’ if owned.

We presented Joe and Tyler with a token of our appreciation and they were delighted to host us in Tyler, which Joe was very proud to call his hometown.

James Hay

 

 

Day 2 – A Day with Texas Forestry Association and Dinner with Texas Dairy Association

Our first full day in Texas was a great one!

We spent the day with Rob Hughes from the Texas Forestry Association, who gave us a fantastic insight into forestry here in the Lone Star State. Rob and his team took us out to a plantation where we met Lauren, Caleb, and the foresters, and got to see the whole operation in action from trees being cut using impressive machinery to being loaded onto lorries. The boys were very much in their element…

We then visited another part of the forest where young trees were being planted fascinating to watch as each seedling was carefully placed in the ground using specialised equipment and a clever trailer setup.

Next, we toured a mill production site, following the full process from the moment the lumber arrives from the forest to when it’s manufactured into a range of products. It was amazing to see how it all ties together, a truly efficient and sustainable system.
To give you an idea of scale, Texas has over 12 million acres of forestry, with around 95% used in-state and only 5% exported, mainly for the construction industry. Rob’s knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm were infectious, and we all came away with a much deeper appreciation for the forestry sector in Texas.

After a great day in the woods, we joined Rob for a few well-earned drinks back at the hotel bar before heading out to dinner with the Texas Dairy Association. It was a fantastic evening of Texan cuisine and great conversation with local dairy farmers, some milking over 30,000 cows, which blew our minds!

It was fascinating comparing our dairy systems, learning how their rations are mostly made up of corn, sorghum, and other local feeds. The hospitality has been second to none, and it’s safe to say we’re already learning so much from our time here.

A brilliant first full day in Texas — and we can’t wait to see what else is in store for the rest of the trip!

Emily Black

 

 

Day 3 – The Chicken Industry and Cavenders Cowboy Clothing.

On Tuesday morning after a great evening the night before meeting with the dairy association and our lumber host, we were off to visit the next big industry of east Texas, Chicken.

We headed off early to Wayne Sanderson farms, one of Texas’s biggest chicken growers and producers, with farms from rearing, egg production, boilers and breeding. Having to sign our non-disclosure forms on the bus, we were eager to see what we were going to see, unaware we were actually going to visit one of the largest chicken killing and processing plants in the state.

Arriving at the site, we were met with truck loads of empty crates leaving and a que of white broiler hens entering the site, the scale was also displayed by the size of the staff car park with hundreds of cars parked in front of the main building.

We disembarked the bus and headed through security to meet our host Jackie, head of operation at the plant and she was also joined by JC Essler, executive vice president  from the Texas chicken association.

After an introduction and welcome we kitted ourselves out in safety gear and split down into groups to head into the plant. What followed was a tour of the production line that can process 265,000 chickens a day, from live hens coming in to being packed and chilled in around 2 and a half hours. The scale and size of the plant was overwhelming,  with a maze of elevators and conveyers taking different cuts to areas to be packed or processed.  Although the mechanic scale was impressive, the size of workforce was also surprisingly large with 1800 staff working over 3 shifts 5 days a week.

With ear protection in and the noise of the plant, it was a quicker tour round with questions having to be kept for after but the sheer scale and speed was very impressive.  The cleanliness of the plant was also noticed and several times we observed quality control being carried out, ensure a very high quality, consistent product was being produced.

The final part of the walking tour maybe brought home the scale of the factory though, where we got to walk down to the live hens coming in and being hung on to the line to be then dipped in water and stunned before being killed. This part of the process was swift and efficient, on such a scale though that kept high welfare standards. When later asked about animal protesters and vegans, JC commented that they do everything to the highest standards and correctly but at the end of the day “killing chicken is killing chicken”.

Once the walking tour finished we had a chance to talk with our hosts and some of the plant working and had a great selection of questions. Running operations was discussed and the monumental amount of water the plant uses was covered, with close to 7.2 million litres of water used every day in the plant, this is then all cleaned through an onsite treatment plant and then irrigated on hay pasture to return into the ground.

Overall an amazing visit with the group feeling quite privileged to be allow in to such a secure facility.

After a stop for a bbq brisket lunch we headed to the headquarters of Cavenders, an original Texas family owned western work wear clothing shop. After a tour round the offices and meeting several staff we got the chance to visit their flagship store in town, where the group then all started to embrace the cowboy culture and purchase boots, hats and shining belt buckles.

Cameron Smith

 

 

Day 4- Texas Agriculture Introduction Session and St Genetics Visit

This morning’s session offered an in-depth exploration of Texas agriculture from two leading voices in agricultural policy: Mr. Dan Hunter and Dr. Jim Butler. Mr. Hunter, the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in Texas, is the highest ranking federal agricultural official in the state, with a career spanning Capitol Hill, state government, environmental research leadership, and agricultural advocacy. Dr. Butler, an animal scientist and rancher, has held high level positions with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, and the USDA, and now works across a range of agricultural education and development initiatives.

They described the enormous scale of Texas agriculture, noting that if the state were its own country, their economy would rank sixth in the world. Oil remains the largest sector, closely followed by agriculture. Around 95% of Texas land is privately owned, which shapes both production patterns and the policy environment. Texas leads the nation in beef, cotton, and grapefruit production and ranks within the top five for poultry and dairy. As Mr. Hunter noted, Texas is always harvesting something, with the citrus season currently underway.

The discussion also highlighted the thriving specialty product sectors. Texas has roughly 550 vineyards, including six wines ranked among the top 100 worldwide, and around 250 distilleries, one of which an Austin rum has been recognised as the most popular in Japan. These industries demonstrate the diversification and increasing international competitiveness of Texas agriculture.

Youth development was another important theme. The speakers noted the influence of FFA (Future Farmers of America) in shaping leadership, communication, and confidence in young agriculturalists. They also discussed shifting consumer expectations, particularly encouragement to reduce red meat consumption, which continues to reshape production and market trends.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought renewed focus to food security while deepening the disconnection between consumers and agricultural production. The agricultural trade deficit is widening as land is lost to urbanisation, drought, and alternative land uses that provide higher financial returns than farming. Despite its strong production base, the United States is now a net importer of food, raising long term questions about resilience and food independence.

Energy and environmental policy add new layers of complexity. Solar developments supported by feed-in tariffs can make non-agricultural land uses more financially attractive than farming. Climate change continues to drive uncertainty and the need for ongoing adaptation, supported by certification frameworks and resilience programmes. Levies charged are reinvested into young farmer initiatives, and government backed insurance remains crucial to managing risk. Disease challenges, including avian influenza and its potential implications for cattle, demand constant monitoring.

Further insight was provided through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension from Mr. Rick Avery and Mr. Cliff Lamb. Research funding for 2024 stands at around $345 million. With between 1,300 and 1,500 new residents arriving in Texas every day, pressure on land, infrastructure, and natural resources is immense. Agriculture contributes roughly $240 billion to the Texas economy, accounting for around 9.3% of GDP.

Wildlife issues were highlighted as a major concern. The threat of the screwworm parasite pose risks, but the greatest challenge is the rapidly expanding wild hog population. The damage to crops, ecosystems, and infrastructure is severe. As Mr. Lamb remarked “We can’t barbecue our way out of this problem” capturing even aggressive control programmes barely make a dent in a population that can triple within a year.

In their final remarks, Mr. Hunter and Dr. Butler returned to two key themes. First, they emphasised the remarked that the face of agriculture is changing, with more women than ever involved in production, science, business, and policy, reflecting a more modern and representative industry. Second, they reminded us that although they could offer insight and policy context, the greatest learning comes from our peers. It was a fitting conclusion to a meeting that highlighted both the challenges and the opportunities within Texan agriculture today.

Katie Forster

 

In the afternoon we visited ST Genetics Bull stud Texas, the group got a very open and interactive tour of the facility being shown round by Shelby Cook, Call Centre Manager and Gustavo Toro, Beef Director, getting a tour of their semen sorting machines, bull stud and research centre.

ST Genetics is a global leader in cattle genetics and reproductive technologies, The company employs approximately 250 staff members at their Texas base and operates in 22 locations worldwide, including through its international partnership with Cogent.

They work across a Total Site Area of 1,700 acres and forage is grown and transported from another site to feed the cattle.

Their cutting edge Embryo Transfer & IVF Centre Provides reproductive services for both internal use and external clients. The Research Centre is designated to monitoring feed intake and methane emissions.

They currently focus on first-cross Angus × Holstein cattle as part of progeny testing for bull performance.

Livestock and Breeding Operations

ST Genetics maintains its own breeding herds for both beef and dairy.

Total Bulls:

• 285 beef bulls
• 600 dairy bulls

They also have a procurement team who buy bulls from top herds across the country with most recently an Angus bull purchased for $500,000. The company is even involved in cloning elite bulls to enhance genetic progress in a small scale.

The company holds exclusive rights to sexed semen production (4m straws). Their additional Genetic services also extend to white-tailed deer and horses.

Ross Campbell

 

Day 5- Rice Production and Brahman Cattle

We were kindly welcomed to the farm by John and Daniel Gertson , who farm over 1000 acres of rice as their main enterprise, as well as 250 Aberdeen angus suckler cows. It was a fantastic visit with the whole group fully engaged in learning about an area of agriculture we previously knew so little about.

The main market for the rice crop is for human consumption. Market forces tend to mean the majority of rice is sold as white rice, only meaning it is further processed from brown rice, and much of the nutritional value is lost. A topsoil depth of 3-4 inches allows for few crops to be grown successfully. The rice crop thrives in the shallow soil, which lies upon clay. The layer of clay holds the moisture on the surface, creating the perfect environment for the rice crop to grow.

The crop is sown in march, The rice is harvested twice a year; First In late July,  early August then again in November. With little feed value in the straw, at 5-6% protein, it generally gets mulched back into the soil, and allowed to rest before it is resown the following year. Combines are tracked to minimise ruts, and compaction to the ground which would reduce the quality of the 2nd crop. It is important for the ground to be levelled to allow for the water to be held at a level across the field. It is “pre flood” following herbicide application at 5-6 weeks , and then is fully flood to allow the whole crop to lie In approximately 4 inches of water.

Water is a precious resource , costing approximately 200 dollars per acre , with a total production cost of about 1800 dollars per acre. Both fert and spray applications are done via aeroplane of which the farm owns 2, which have the ability to hold 800 gallons of liquid, flying over the crop at 140mph, 20-30 feet from the ground. The crop is harvested at 15-20% moisture and is then stored and dried further on farm.

Although the family has invested heavily in rice production, and continues to do so, he is not optimistic about the future of rice farming in Texas as a result of an annual decline in water in the state, which seems to have been a theme in every enterprise we’ve seen. A reminder that climate change is challenging farmers across the globe in every form of agriculture.

Rebecca Duncan

Our next visit was to J.D. Hudgins, Inc. a quality Brahman breeder.

This tour was led by company president and 5th generation farmer, Coleman Locke and his son John. Coleman and John gave us an in-depth run down of the business and its history. One thing that was of interest was that the business is split in to 8 divisions. All 8 are raising Brahman and are all branches of the family tree but work independently of each other. There is ~ 1800 cows across all divisions. Across the 8 divisions there are 15 full time family members working in the business, selling 300 bulls a year, most of which are sold privately. Each animal is branded with the company’s overall brand and then with its specific division’s brand too.

The business has been farming Brahmans since 1915 and have sold genetics to 43 different countries, with the first being sent to Australia in 1933. John stated that semen sales have dropped recently due to the increased popularity of IVF, one straw can do a lot more now a days.

After the introduction and in-depth question session from the group, we headed out to the ranch to see the bulls. While out on the ranch, Coleman and John continued to tell us about the business. We were told that in his 81 years of life Coleman has only ever seen two c-sections on his cows. All cows calf outside naturally with very little to no human intervention.  When asked about the temperament of the animals (as they are known to be more highly strung) John replied “any dummy can work a Hereford”, implying that they may not be for everyone to work but once you learn how to work with them and read them etc. they aren’t as bad as their reputation suggests.

After lengthy discussions in small groups with Coleman and John we headed back to the office. Coleman stated he could have kept us there until “the day after tomorrow” talking all things Brahman and cattle but unfortunately John had a football game to go to and we had a journey to San Antonio to make. After a quick vote of thanks to let John get away, we left Hungerford and headed West to San Antonio.

Viki Johnston

 

Day 6- Heartbrand Beef and the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Programme

Day 6 of our Texas trip was our first day waking up in San Antonio, we jumped on the bus first thing and headed East for an hour and a half to Heartbrand Beef. This is a family ranch, running 3,000 Akaushi cows over multiple farms.

Firstly we stopped in by their distribution shop, where they pack up their Akaushi beef and ship frozen to households all over the US, this was a small facility and probably not what most of us expected, but the domestic online market is only about 2% of their meat sales. We learned here about the marbling of the meat, the muscles less used on the beast are the best marbled, for example the ribeye, strips and flat iron. The pricing of the beef is a limiting factor to the general public with the current cost of living, creating a niche market, a 14oz ribeye coming in at $55 (£41.75) or a 10oz tenderloin fillet $90 (£68.32). Although being a niche product the Heartbrand company finds that their customers tend to become loyal and prioritise the quality of their beef over price, they use social media campaigns and emailing to help the market grow. Currently they are killing 350 head a week to meet demand, these will be around 26-30 months of age and should kill out at 875-900lb hot carcass weight, they utilise all of the carcass and can reduce kill numbers to ensure they never have too much in stock. The majority of the meat is shipped out directly to a bigger distributor that sells it on to restaurants and shops.

Following on from there we headed for the main ranch for Heartbrand Beef, where we were greeted by the head cowboy, Noe, he spared a couple hours to show us round and give us some more on the ground knowledge about Akaushi cows. Akaushi are a red wagyu cow, with a great marbling quality, although they aren’t as well marbled as the black wagyu they tend to finish 3-4 months quicker than them. The Akaushi also cope very well with the heat, meaning they are well suited to the high Texas temperatures! On the ranch we visited they are running 1,100 cows calving twice a year, this is purely a cow calf operation which is what we would refer to as a suckler herd, they wean the calves and send the steers and heifers that haven’t made the cut for breeding to their feed lot which runs separately, ideally they only keep as many bulls entire as they need and will cut the rest, bulls don’t tend to marble as well as the heifers do. They select breeding heifers by eye rather than by figures, as well as breeding their own replacements they also sell bulls, 300 of which being sold at 18 months of age, averaging between $5,800 and $18,000. Through selling their bulls to ranchers near by they offer a buy back programme, in which the other ranchers will buy their bulls use him and then Heartbrand will buy back the calves, so long as the calves are 50% Akaushi they can be certified.

As well as learning lots about the cows we also met some working horses, all cowboy work on Heartbrand ranch is done on horseback, this helps settle the cows temperament and keep them calm.

After this we had a quick lunch stop at H.E.B. This was what can only be described as overwhelming… the sheer scale and variety of everything is amazing.

For our last visit of the day we went to the Polish Heritage Centre in Pana Maria, we were given a flying tour round the museum before having a talk from Dr Jim Mazurkiewicz. Dr Jim is the director of the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership programme, which runs over two years with 24 successful applicants. It is designed to develop the candidates and push them outwith their comfort zone, with 520 hours of lecturing and training. Alongside being in charge of TALL, Dr Jim has many other roles and responsibilities, he was a great speaker to listen to and it is inspiring to listen to someone so passionate about agriculture, from grassroots to professors and everything in between. He encouraged us to grow and learn as much as we can, take every opportunity we get and continue to push the agricultural industry forwards, as he quoted us “Everybody wants the sausage but nobody wants to kill the hog”.

Beth Farmer

 

Days 7 & 8- The Sights of San Antonio

Saturday marked the midpoint of the trip and a chance to catch up with ourselves, spend some free time in San Antonio and enjoy some social activities. The group was keen to explore a few different authentic Texan cultural experiences whilst also catching up on some laundry.

After a good breakfast and debrief on the trip so far, some of the group headed out to NARDIS Gun Club to blow off some steam. The gun culture in America is a stark contrast to back in the UK, with most citizens owning multiple firearms, and often will be concealed carrying on their person whilst out in public. It was fascinating to hear from the staff at NARDIS who were fantastic about getting us up to speed on gun safety, and the legalisation behind gun ownership and possession. A number of times it was highlighted that responsible ownership is taught from a young age and the respect towards concealed carrying and being safe when out in public is very clear. With a number of the group holding shotgun, firearms and air rifle licenses back in the UK, it was a real experience to compare this culture which seemed very far away from a ‘day at the clays’ back home. Thankfully we managed to leave the range in one piece, with a few paper targets souvenirs peppered with holes showcasing our questionable level of accuracy and grouping! A truly exhilarating experience!

In the afternoon we took the opportunity to take in another of Texas’ great cultural experiences, College Football. We couldn’t turn down the opportunity to take in a football game during our time in the US, and see how popular matches are as part of the university experience. College football is a huge industry in the states and boasts an incredibly passionate following on and off the field. Parking lots around the stadium and campus are filled with food stalls, tailgates, coolers, merchandise, and live music. The atmosphere was amazing. On the field it was the Incarnate World Cardinals hosting Southeastern Louisiana Lions. Up to the top of the bleachers, we had an excellent view of the field and spent the afternoon doing our best to work out how the game was actually played! Watching a game of football is a sensory overload, with fast paced action on the pitch, the crowd getting behind their teams, the smell of popcorn and corn dogs, cheerleaders demonstrating their routines and abilities, and the college’s marching band providing a very patriotic soundtrack. It was a spectacle and a fantastic experience to watch the game. We even managed to get some photos with players on the field after the match. They were certainly bemused by the kilts and why a bus load of Scots were there to support them!

Into the evening we headed back into San Antonio city centre and River Walk area for a classic Mexican style dinner. The centre of San Antonio features an area full of bars, restaurants and shops lined along both sides of the River, with many quaint stone bridges, palm trees and river boats illuminated with fairy lights hung from the trees. Street musicians were entertaining diners up and down the river walk and waiters serving tables precariously close to the waters edge! A busy bustling area for locals and tourists gave the area a magical atmosphere for us to enjoy the warm evening socialising and sharing stories from the day.

Sunday morning was the last of our free time in San Antonio, so it was the last chance to take in some of the local history and culture before heading up to Stephenville. We took the opportunity to visit the site of the infamous Alamo. Orginally built as a Spanish Mission founded in 1718, it was later claimed as a military camp for the Texan army and the last line of defence during the Mexican occupation. In 1836 it was laid siege by the much larger and better equipped Mexican Army and on the 24th February, after a fortnight of gallant defence, fell into Mexican hands. The brave sacrifice by the 200 Texan soldiers would resonate around the state, and the “remember the Alamo” rallying cry would go on to be the motivation that resulted in Texas later claiming Independence in its own right. The original stone walls of the building still stand strong today are now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

After some quick souvenir shopping and a sandwich stop, we said farewell to San Antonio and began our journey north to Stephenville, the home of Tarleton State University. On route to Stephenville, we were warmly welcomed for an al-fresco dinner and BBQ with the head of the Texas Sorghum Association Wayne Cleveland, in the gardens of his own house just outside the town of Salado. Nestled in a beautiful garden adorned with fairy lights and the gentle sound of Cicadas, Wayne and his wife Cathy laid on a tremendous feast of barbecued brisket, sausage, pork, tacos, sheet cake and much more besides, all washed down by a margarita or two! We had a quick introduction to the Texas Sorghum industry from Wayne and his colleague Ty Wilson, an interesting crop that was new to many of the group. It was a real pleasure to spend time with Wayne, Cathy and their family and receive their very kind and generous Texan hospitality.

The last bus journey of the day would then take us up to our accommodation for the next few nights, HiPoint Ranch and GKB Cattle, where we would settle in and prepare for the busy week ahead!

Fraser Graham