Texas Cattle Raisers Join in Soil and Water Stewardship Week

FORT WORTH — Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is proud to partner with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Texas Agricultural Land Trust and Texas Wildlife Association to promote Soil and Water Stewardship Week. Running from April 30 to May 7, the focus this year is “No Land No Water™.”
This focus reminds us not only of the importance of water, but also the importance of good stewardship practices on agricultural lands. Texas farmers, ranchers and foresters are constantly aware of the importance of water as a natural resource.
“Texas Ranchers are among the first and very best stewards of Texas’ valuable natural resources,” said Richard Thorpe, president of Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. “We depend on the land and the water that comes from it for our very livelihoods, and must continue our stewardship of those resources so future generations can carry on our ranching traditions.”
Ranchers and other groups throughout the state have been working with local Soil and Water Conservation districts for more than 75 years to voluntarily implement conservation plans. The voluntary collaboration increases the quantity and improves the quality of our water, all while conserving water through innovative agricultural practices.
“Land management in rural areas directly affects the water quality and quantity for the 20 million Texans living in urban areas,” said Rex Isom, executive director of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. “When it rains in Texas, 83 percent of it falls on farms, ranches and forests. In these areas, the rainfall either infiltrates down into the groundwater, absorbs into the soil or it runs off into creeks, rivers and reservoirs.”
The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Association of Texas Soil & Water Conservation Districts, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, Texas Wildlife Association and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association are joining other state agencies and organizations in the public awareness campaign.
Partnering organizations include Ducks Unlimited, Earthmoving Contractors Association of Texas, Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas, South Texans’ Property Rights Association, Texan by Nature, Texas Association of Dairymen, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources, Texas Ag Industries, Texas Agricultural Irrigation Association, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Forestry Association, Texas Grain and Feed Association, Texas Grazing Land Coalition, Texas Land Trust Council, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Pork Producers Association, Texas Poultry Federation, Texas Rice Council, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, Texas Water Resources Institute and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
For more information on the “No Land No Water™” campaign, visit www.nolandnowater.org.
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TSCRA is a 140-year-old trade association and is the largest and oldest livestock organization based in Texas. TSCRA has more than 17,500 beef cattle operations, ranching families and businesses as members. These members represent approximately 55,000 individuals directly involved in ranching and beef production who manage 4 million head of cattle on 76 million acres of range and pasture land primarily in Texas and Oklahoma, but throughout the Southwest.
For more TSCRA news releases, visit tscra.org.