Texas Farm Bureau Calls for Action on Water Crisis
Years of severe drought conditions combined with extreme population growth are putting pressure on the state’s water resources. During a recent Texas House Committee on Natural Resources hearing, Texas Farm Bureau testified on the critical need for immediate action to the water crisis.
The state’s farmers and ranchers are the most vulnerable to drought and water supply disruptions.
“We’re living it right now. We are the example of what happens if you do not have a water supply you can depend upon,” Billy Howe, TFB associate director of Government Affairs, said.
He noted the Texas cattle inventory is at near record lows and the national implications of that.
“Ranchers are having to sell off livestock because they simply don’t have the grass to graze them because it’s not raining, and you can’t feed your way out of a drought,” he said.
In addition to livestock losses, the sugar mill closure in the Rio Grande Valley was a direct result of water shortages. Reservoirs are at an all-time low, and Mexico is significantly behind on the water it owes the U.S. under the 1944 Water Treaty, further deepening the crisis in South Texas.
But the Valley isn’t the only region of the state suffering from lack of water.
In the Panhandle, which is home to the world’s largest cotton patch, cotton gins have closed due to reduced cotton acreage. And this year, Texas farmers are forecast to plant even fewer acres.
“There’s real economic consequences in the Panhandle right now because of that,” Howe said.
That means fewer jobs, less money flowing through rural communities and an overall economic downturn for a region that relies heavily on agriculture. When cotton farmers plant fewer acres due to water shortages, the ripple effect is felt in gins, equipment dealerships and local businesses.
Rice farmers in the Lower Colorado River Basin are also struggling. They have gone through several years without water being released from the Highland Lakes, drying up hopes for a successful crop.
The water crisis impacting agriculture is part of a larger trend.
“Texas is number one in the country in agricultural losses,” Howe said. “Sixty-six percent of that was because of drought and heat.”
In response to those challenges, Texas Farm Bureau is a member of the statewide water coalition that is urging lawmakers to prioritize funding for water infrastructure, conservation and long-term supply solutions.
Howe also discussed the need for funding for science-based groundwater management and emphasized the importance of protecting private property rights when managing water resources.
TFB is also supporting efforts to replenish the Ag Water Conservation Fund at the Water Development Board, Howe said, noting the fund is crucial for providing grants to farmers for water conservation.
Texas Farm Bureau is also involved in efforts to support the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program, which aims to preserve farm and ranch lands that contribute to the state’s water supply.
“What does farm and ranch conservation have to do with water? No land, no water,” Howe said. “That’s where water starts. It falls on farms. It falls on ranches, and it ends up in the streams and reservoirs, or it ends up in the aquifer.”
Farm Bureau urged lawmakers to act now, emphasizing that water solutions must balance agricultural needs with the demands of a growing state. Without action, the future of Texas agriculture, and the communities that depend on it, remains at risk.
