The Agrarian's Alcove

I went on a field trip recently to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) with the sixth graders that I tutor. I honestly thought it was going to be the most boring field trip ever, but it was actually really cool! We got to watch videos of crash testing, the kids got to use a distracted driving simulator, and we learned how the stoplight systems work. You may be wondering why we’re talking about roads and transportation on a blog devoted to agriculture. We talk a lot on this blog about environmental friendliness and the transportation institute actually has a department devoted to solving environmental problems with the construction of roadways and bridges. I’m going to give you the highlights of what this field trip taught me about erosion, hopefully give yall some insight on a career path you may never have associated with agriculture, and some cool facts about our Texas roadways. TTI have several focus areas regarding environmental research and improvement. The swe...

Visit a Farmer’s Market We all talk about the need to support local farmers, but how many times did you go the farmer’s market last year? I planned to go several times… but HEB sells “locally” grown food, and they sell a lot of items that are certified Go Texan. It was more convenient to go there, however “local” to a grocery store can mean anywhere in the state, rather than what you might think of as local. Farmer’s markets usually only sell food that are in season. Grocery stores generally sell foods all year around because larger farms can afford to grow fruits and vegetables indoors in a greenhouse. Dedicate your time once a season to visiting a farmer’s market and seeing what foods are in season. The sellers at a market love to talk about their products, how they grow them, or their favorite recipes to use them in. If you visit a farmer’s market, ask that farmer about their product! It can be a great learning experience, and it’s just a lot of fun. Plus you’re helping out your ...