Local Student’s Efforts Spark Texas Senate Bill

On Tuesday, April 13, Laura James, a member of the Flatonia 4-H Club and a junior at Flatonia High School, testified at a meeting of the Texas Senate Education Committee on behalf of Senate Bill 801.

This bill originated from a letter writing campaign by James last year. The effort was aimed at raising awareness among elected officials in Texas about the negative impact of widespread agriculture illiteracy on farmers and ranchers and imploring them to take action.

For most of our nation’s history, basic agriculture education was delivered at home via daily life on the farm. This critical contribution of farmers and ranchers to American society has been taken for granted for generations.

With fewer than 2% of Americans now living on farms and ranches, modern consumers and voters are easily swayed by false narratives spun by radical anti-agriculture groups opposed to modern production practices, often due to their own misconceptions. James believes that this threat to our nation’s food security has been ignored by elected officials for far too long.

Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) and Senator Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) embraced the issue and SB801 was soon written and filed by Kolkhorst. The bill seeks initially to establish agriculture education in grades K-3, with hopes to expand the program to additional grade levels in the future. SB801 passed out of the Senate Education Committee on a unanimous vote, was approved by the full Senate, and is now under consideration in the Texas House of Representatives.

James has a long-standing passion for agriculture literacy. Her interest in this issue was further inspired by her participation in the Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador Program over the past year. This program selects students with a strong interest in agriculture who have shown advanced leadership qualities and trains them to be the next generation of leaders in the livestock industry.

Her ambassador program experience began with a one week course last June at West Texas A&M University and will end next month. She is the daughter of Guy and Michele James of Schulenburg.