Agriculture is big business in Texas. Statewide, it has a
.
But the industry may be at risk. The average age of a Texas farmer or rancher is 59. And fewer young people are taking over the labor-intensive work.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set up a program to
in Texas. They鈥檝e also identified a population that may be well-suited for taking over the work 鈥� veterans.
Erin Pilosi travels the state to tell people about .
Her job is talk about the to Texas agriculture workers who need it.
鈥淚t can be anything from being quadriplegic to having arthritis," Pilosi says.
Texas AgrAbility then works with organizations to help farmers keep farming, whether it鈥檚 putting a lift on a tractor for a person in a wheelchair or adding more steps and handrails to a combine for someone with a bad back 鈥� or something else entirely.
鈥淚 have a producer who is mostly deaf and he raises goats," Pilosi says. "Well, he can鈥檛 hear his goats when his goats are in trouble. So, right now, we鈥檙e working with another agency that trains farm dogs. Specifically, they will train that dog to meet his needs that can alert him when his goats are in trouble. We do all sorts of different things.鈥�
About half of U.S. military veterans are from rural areas. Some have an interest in agriculture but may be dealing with injuries or trauma 鈥� and that鈥檚 where Texas AgrAbility comes in again.
鈥淚t is still possible for them to do farming and ranching," Pilsoi says. "And we have the resources available to help them do that.鈥�
Yvonne Martinez-Higgins and her husband William are both veterans. She was in the army and he was in the air force. Their relationship blossomed when they were both stationed in Hawaii.
They shared a dream to start a family farm.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had all kinds of ideas from goats to rabbits to currently butterflies," William Higgins says.
They bought 15 acres in 2005, but William admits not a lot has happened since then.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a long process," he says. "I鈥檓 kind of slow anyway. So it鈥檚 trying to plan everything and everything鈥檚 kind of been on our own at this point.鈥�
Part of the problem is that it鈥檚 hard for William to get around. He walks with a cane, suffers back and hip pain and has issues with balance.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 involved in any direct combat," he says. "Mine was just hard use. I was a lineman. I climbed lots of utility poles, fell off a few of them. I鈥檝e found that mobility is hard for me and also dealing with people I鈥檝e found to be difficult as well.鈥�
Those interpersonal difficulties aren鈥檛 uncommon among veterans 鈥� particularly those who鈥檝e been to war.
Erin Pilosi says she鈥檚 met many veterans who find farming and ranching therapeutic.
鈥淎ll of the benefits that come with working with the soil and growing things," Pilosi says.
That鈥檚 what William and Yvonne hope to get out of their family farm.
鈥淲ell, I wouldn鈥檛 be my own boss. I鈥檇 have her to tell me what to do or direct me anyway," Higgins says. "But it allows me to kind of set my own schedule and hopefully design things that are accessible for me."
"And I do think that he feels also that being able to produce something and to have that ownership, that鈥檚 very therapeutic in keeping everything going and working and physically and mentally sharp. And just happy. He鈥檚 happiest when he can produce things," Yvonne Martinez-Higgins says.
William and Yvonne hope the Texas AgrAbility program will connect them with tools to help William get around their property easier. And they hope they can give back by providing local goods to Texans.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e just really used to hard work that takes a long time," Martinez-Higgins says. "And as long as we have something at the end to show for it, we鈥檙e pretty happy with that. If you鈥檝e served your time and you鈥檙e willing to continue serving in another capacity, why not go for it?鈥�
Above all, they hope their four kids will carry on the farming tradition they鈥檙e working hard to build 鈥� and that Texas could be losing if new generations don鈥檛 embrace.
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William Higgins and Yvonne Martinez-Higgins /
William taking a break on their property last month. The couple plans to put ADA accessible greenhouses on their farm.
Laura first joined the KUT team in April 2012. She now works for the statewide program Texas Standard as a reporter and producer. Laura came to KUT from the world of television news. She has worn many different hats as an anchor, reporter and producer at TV stations in Austin, Amarillo and Toledo, OH. Laura is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, a triathlete and enjoys travel, film and a good beer. She enjoys spending time with her husband and pets.
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