The digital content on TLO has been updated to align with the accessibility standards required by WCAG 2.1.

 
 
  H.R. No. 173
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
 
         WHEREAS, The Texas Agricultural Land Trust, which diligently
  works to conserve our state's heritage of agricultural lands,
  wildlife habitats, and natural resources, is celebrating its 10th
  anniversary with a Celebratory Texas Ranch BBQ on October 12, 2017,
  at the historic McFaddin Ranch; and
         WHEREAS, Twenty-seven million residents are blessed to live
  in Texas, a state with abundant natural beauty and biodiversity in
  every corner; the Lone Star State covers a land and water area
  totaling more than 268,000 square miles, the most of any state in
  the continental United States; and
         WHEREAS, Farming and ranching have been ingrained into the
  very fabric of Texas, from the earliest settlers to the present-day
  farmers and ranchers who work nearly 250,000 farms and ranches;
  this is more than double the number in the second leading state,
  which boasts just over 100,000 farms and ranches; Texas farms and
  ranches, including privately owned forestland, total over 140
  million acres and encompass approximately 84 percent of the state's
  total land area; and
         WHEREAS, Agricultural families produce the food and fiber
  that help feed and clothe suburban and urban Texans, Americans in
  other states, and many citizens of other countries; Texas is a
  leader in the U.S. production of beef and several types of fruit,
  vegetable, and fiber crops; and
         WHEREAS, Today's family-owned farms and ranches face many of
  the same challenges encountered by their pioneer forefathers, such
  as severe weather, predation, and fluctuating prices; present-day
  farmers and ranchers also face the challenge of the fragmentation
  of land due to multiple heirs, estate taxation, and the
  urbanization of Texas that has followed the rapid growth of
  municipalities; farm and ranch land in the United States has been
  disappearing at an accelerated pace since the 1960s, and Texas has
  experienced this same trend; to address this issue, in 2005 the
  American Farmland Trust brought together farmers, ranchers, and
  stakeholder organizations, such as the Texas and Southwestern
  Cattle Raisers Association, the Texas Wildlife Association, and the
  Texas Farm Bureau; and
         WHEREAS, The result of this effort was the creation of the
  nonprofit Texas Agricultural Land Trust, the sole mission of which
  is to promote the conservation of agricultural lands and native
  wildlife habitat on privately owned lands, while also guaranteeing
  each landowner's private property rights; the Texas Agricultural
  Land Trust's mission is not to own land, but it instead seeks to
  work with landowners who love their land and want to conserve it for
  future generations through conservation easements; this voluntary
  land use management tool is used to conserve land and natural
  resources while ensuring that the landowner continues to own the
  property and to use it for farming, ranching, and hunting; each
  conservation easement is individually tailored and can also help to
  lower income and estate taxes; in several instances, the Texas
  Agricultural Land Trust has helped private landowners reconstitute
  their once fragmented family farms and ranches to re-create the
  original family tract, or one that is as similar to the original as
  possible; and
         WHEREAS, Governed by a board of directors made up of
  landowners and managed by a staff experienced in ranch and farm
  management and wildlife conservation, the Texas Agricultural Land
  Trust has worked with farmers, ranchers, and forest owners across
  the state to conserve more than 226,000 acres; the organization's
  current board of directors is led by Chairman Clark Willingham,
  Vice Chairman Bob McCan, Secretary Caroleene Hardee Dobson, and
  Treasurer John Dudley; the members of the board include Perry
  R. Bass II, Mark Bivins, Jim Bradbury, Charles Davidson, Norman
  R. Garza Jr., Steve C. Lewis, Richard M. Lucas Jr., Larry
  Mellenbruch, Rick Peebles, Robert J. Potts, Jane Richardson, Ed
  Small, Julie Kelleher Stacy, and Jesse Womack; and
         WHEREAS, The daily operations of the Texas Agricultural Land
  Trust are ably conducted by Chief Executive Officer Blair
  Fitzsimons and her team, Chief Operating Officer James Oliver,
  Stewardship Director Ken Cearley, Finance Director Dina McIlhenny,
  Outreach and Communications Manager Jenny Sanders, Executive
  Assistant and Office Manager Lorie Talamantez, Development
  Coordinator Sandra Velarde, and External Legal Counsel Arthur Uhl;
  and
         WHEREAS, The iconic wide-open spaces of Texas provide
  immeasurable tangible and intangible benefits to this state and
  constitute an essential part of its identity, and the Texas
  Agricultural Land Trust is playing a vital role in preserving and
  protecting this precious heritage; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
  Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commemorate the 10th
  anniversary of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust and extend to all
  those associated with the trust sincere best wishes for continued
  success in their important work; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for the Texas Agricultural Land Trust as an expression of
  high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
 
  Price
 
 
Straus Goldman Oliverson
 
Allen Gonzales of Williamson Ortega
 
Alonzo González of El Paso Paddie
 
Alvarado Gooden Parker
 
Anchia Guerra Paul
 
Anderson of Dallas Guillen Perez
 
Anderson of McLennan Gutierrez Phelan
 
Arévalo Hefner Phillips
 
Ashby Hernandez Pickett
 
Bailes Herrero Price
 
Bell Hinojosa Raney
 
Bernal Holland Raymond
 
Biedermann Howard Reynolds
 
Blanco Huberty Rinaldi
 
Bohac Hunter Roberts
 
Bonnen of Brazoria Isaac Rodriguez of Bexar
 
Bonnen of Galveston Israel Rodriguez of Travis
 
Burkett Johnson of Dallas Romero, Jr.
 
Burns Johnson of Harris Rose
 
Burrows Kacal Sanford
 
Button Keough Schaefer
 
Cain King of Hemphill Schofield
 
Canales King of Parker Schubert
 
Capriglione King of Uvalde Shaheen
 
Clardy Klick Sheffield
 
Coleman Koop Shine
 
Collier Krause Simmons
 
Cook Kuempel Smithee
 
Cortez Lambert Springer
 
Cosper Landgraf Stephenson
 
Craddick Lang Stickland
 
Cyrier Larson Stucky
 
Dale Laubenberg Swanson
 
Darby Leach Thierry
 
Davis of Dallas Longoria Thompson of Brazoria
 
Davis of Harris Lozano Thompson of Harris
 
Dean Lucio III Tinderholt
 
Deshotel Martinez Turner
 
Dukes Metcalf Uresti
 
Dutton Meyer VanDeaver
 
Elkins Miller Villalba
 
Faircloth Minjarez Vo
 
Fallon Moody Walle
 
Farrar Morrison White
 
Flynn Muñoz, Jr. Wilson
 
Frank Murphy Workman
 
Frullo Murr Wray
 
Geren Neave Wu
 
Gervin-Hawkins Nevárez Zedler
 
Giddings Oliveira Zerwas
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 173 was adopted by the House on August
  1, 2017, by a non-record vote.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House