Economic Development Potential of Producing Food within 150 miles of Houston

Sizing Up the Region Female Operators – 2,700 farms - 333,000 acres Male Operators – 17,300 farms - 4,300,000 acres Family Farm – Individual Operator – 18,260 farms - 3,390,000 acres

Farmer Age

Region compared to State Rice 80%, - 162,000 acres Soy 20% - 39,000 acres (>1 million bushels) Sorghum 11% - 175,000 acres Orchards 7% - 14,800 acres Corn 7% - 119,000 acres Vegetables 3% - 3,400 acres

Production examples Chickens – 83,500 – 0.02% state – 90% of region’s production in Walker County Soy – Wharton – 19,000 acres – Matagorda - 8,800 acres – Liberty - 4,400 acres

Value of the Land Market Value of Ag products sold – $602,000,000 total – $374,000,000 crops – $228,000,000 livestock Estimated Market Value – Land & Buildings – Average of $1,845 per acre – $906 – Chambers – $2,809 – Montgomery – $768 – State average

Mixed Bag Local & Global Opportunities Sysco & Walmart National and International Brands Exploding desire for Farmers Markets Diverse population Strong small business presence Import/Export Maritime Shipping International investment “Houston Lag Effect”

What’s Out There? Wild Caught seafood Grass-fed Beef Watermelon Tofu Goat milk Bullfrogs Eggs Wine Blueberries

Local Success Stories Houston Dairy Maids Tropic Lightning Haak Vineyard and Winery Blue Bell Ice Cream Chappell Hill Sausage San San Tofu Hallal meat

Food Recognition & Sense of Place BBQ and meat markets Oysters, Flounder, Shrimp Sausage Rice Coffee Festivals Crabs, Gators, Strawberries, Mayhaw, Crawfish, Rice

Business Challenges Lack of technical assistance & grants Workforce (especially value-added) Cheap v. Quality and Local Broker Consistent supply Year round expectation for seasonal crops – Seafood – Business leakage – Drought, flood, fire, storms, disease, pollinator decline

Opportunities Growers Processors Distributors Brokers Community Development Organizations Value-added Cultural niches Chefs

Local Agriculture Along the Transect

Chuck Wemple Economic Development Program Manager Phone