More than money: the true price of ag independence

  • Cattle graze on native grasses at Mule Step, a ranch in Lampasas County. Cattle continue to rank as the top commodity in Texas, with a market value representing $12.3 billion, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture. JOYCESARAH MCCABE | DISPATCH RECORD
    Cattle graze on native grasses at Mule Step, a ranch in Lampasas County. Cattle continue to rank as the top commodity in Texas, with a market value representing $12.3 billion, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture. JOYCESARAH MCCABE | DISPATCH RECORD
  • Cattle circle the top of this stock tank. Agriculture production is vital to the state’s economy. JOYCESARAH MCCABE | DISPATCH RECORD
    Cattle circle the top of this stock tank. Agriculture production is vital to the state’s economy. JOYCESARAH MCCABE | DISPATCH RECORD

    Cowboy poet and veterinarian Baxter Black once said that despite everything America imports, we could be at peace knowing at least we can feed ourselves. Black spoke those words many years ago, and the outlook for agricultural independence now is not as certain.

    According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service, Texas had 142,566,826 acres in ag prod…