Writer: Blair Fannin, 979-845-2259, b-fannin@tamu.edu
Contacts: Dr. Rebekka Dudensing, 979-845-1719, rmdudensing@tamu.edu
Dr. Joe Outlaw, 979-3845-3062, joutlaw@tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Oil and gas drilling in the Eagle Ford Shale will continue to propel growth in rural Texas, but helping small businesses experience that same growth with a shortage of skilled labor will be a challenge, according to experts.
“Production is on the upswing compared to the 1970s,” said Dr. Rebekka Dudensing, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, during a special farm program, part of the department of agricultural economics’ tailgate activities at the AgriLife Center.
“How long is this going to last? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they are expecting this to go on for quite some time. It does continue to be a very important part of our economy.”
One area of concern is manufacturing jobs in Texas. Dudensing said the concern is lack of skilled workers.
“Our challenge is to help small businesses stay alive in rural communities,” she said.
Employment along the Eagle Ford Shale has been good overall, Dudensing said. Oil and gas production has boosted sales tax revenue in the economies of rural Texas.
However, looking ahead, some of the grand challenges facing Texas are food, water and energy. She said some rural communities still have access problems to food retailers and have to drive long distances.
“Affordability and choices are other challenges,” Dudensing said. “When we talk about choices, we are talking specialty markets and the growing organic sector.”
Water quality and quantity are also important challenges to Texas in the future.
As Texas’s population grows, Dudensing said there are challenges to having enough electrical power while meeting climate change issues.
“Overall, as we look to the future, the Texas population will be growing older, our state will become more diverse,” she said. “We need to be thinking long term about how we are going to meet these challenges.”
Dr. Joe Outlaw, co-director of the Agricultural Food and Policy Center at Texas A&M, said the new farm bill has a lot of moving parts and farmers will have to give careful consideration electing which type of program they choose.
To assist farmers, Outlaw said the center is nearing a release date for a new online decision aid.
Outlaw said farmers have to choose between Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage for their program crops. They also can reallocate base acres to crops planted on the farm anytime during 2009 to 2012.
Outlaw said these choices are complex and “we have a lot of work to do educating producers on these choices.”
“Producers don’t want to be wrong,” Outlaw said, adding the online decision aid, once up and running, will help producers in determining which options are best for them.
Dr. Parr Rosson, department head, said there are 700 undergraduates enrolled in agricultural economics compared to 600 a year ago. Graduate students stand at 153. He credited the increase to the department’s diverse course offerings and the opportunities provided for students.
Meanwhile, Mariel Braun, a senior agricultural economics major, discussed her summer experience at the New York Stock Exchange, and graduate student Justin Benavidez discussed his summer intern experience with the House Agriculture Committee.
Rosson also gave special recognition to Dr. Danny Klinefelter, AgriLife Extension Service economist, who has funded a new endowed AgriLife Extension specialist fund to further continue educational program efforts across the state.
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