H.R. No. 500R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the houses in which we live, and the flowers and plants we enjoy all stem from agriculture, and the important role that Texas farmers and ranchers play in the lives of people worldwide often goes unrecognized; and WHEREAS, In this new millennium, Texas farmers and ranchers and their families face ever-increasing challenges, yet they continue to fulfill an enduring legacy, ensuring that people everywhere have an abundant, reliable, and affordable supply of food, natural fiber, and horticultural and other agricultural products; and WHEREAS, Agriculture is the second-largest industry in Texas, generating $14 billion annually for the economy and providing employment for one out of every five Texans; and WHEREAS, Texas leads other states in the production of cotton, cattle, sheep, goats, wool, mohair, and hay and exports approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural products; and WHEREAS, Texas farmers and ranchers grow and produce many of the products used daily by all Texans, including fruits and vegetables; beef, pork, and poultry products; cotton, wool, and mohair for clothing; trees used in making paper; milk for cheese, ice cream, and other dairy products; corn for cereal, breads, and laundry detergent; and animal fats and proteins for toothpaste and crayons; and WHEREAS, Agriculture also plays a major role in water conservation, rural economic development, global trade, and the preservation of the environment; and WHEREAS, Agriculture will continue to meet the basic needs of the world while providing opportunities for progress beyond food and clothing, including advancements in nutrition, medicine, biotechnology, and food safety; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas Legislature hereby recognize March 16-22, 2003, as National Agriculture Week in Texas and urge all Texans to recognize those producers who help add quality to our lives and to the State of Texas. Hardcastle Craddick Giddings Merritt Allen Goodman Miller Alonzo Goolsby Moreno of Harris Bailey Griggs Moreno of El Paso Baxter Grusendorf Morrison Berman Guillen Mowery Bohac Gutierrez Naishtat Bonnen Haggerty Nixon Branch Hamilton Noriega Brown of Kaufman Hamric Oliveira Brown of Brazos Hardcastle Olivo Burnam Harper-Brown Paxton Callegari Hartnett Pena Campbell Heflin Phillips Canales Hegar Pickett Capelo Hilderbran Pitts Casteel Hill Puente Castro Hochberg Quintanilla Chavez Hodge Rangel Chisum Homer Raymond Christian Hope Reyna Coleman Hopson Riddle Cook of Navarro Howard Ritter Cook of Colorado Hughes Rodriguez Corte Hunter Rose Crabb Hupp Seaman Crownover Isett Smith of Tarrant Davis of Harris Jones of Lubbock Smith of Harris Davis of Dallas Jones of Bexar Smithee Dawson Jones of Dallas Solis Delisi Keel Solomons Denny Keffer of Dallas Stick Deshotel Keffer of Eastland Swinford Driver King Talton Dukes Kolkhorst Taylor Dunnam Krusee Telford Dutton Kuempel Thompson Edwards Laney Truitt Eiland Laubenberg Turner Eissler Lewis Uresti Elkins Luna Van Arsdale Ellis Mabry Villarreal Farabee Madden West Farrar Marchant Wilson Flores Martinez Fischer Wise Flynn McCall Wohlgemuth Gallego McClendon Wolens Garza McReynolds Wong Gattis Menendez Woolley Geren Mercer Zedler ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 500 was adopted by the House on March 18, 2003, by a non-record vote. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House