BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	H.C.R. 83
88R23474 KSM-D	By: Guillen (Zaffirini)
	Administration
	5/12/2023
	Engrossed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Designating Floresville as the official Peanut Capital of Texas.

 

More than a century ago, peanut farming became integral to the economy of Floresville, and the city's residents have long embraced the area's most famous cash crop as an indelible part of the community's culture and heritage.

 

Situated 30 miles southeast of San Antonio, Floresville was founded in 1867, and it became the seat of Wilson County in 1873; agriculture was the backbone of the local economy from the outset, and beginning in the 1910s, cotton and livestock gave way to an important new crop: peanuts.

 

Pioneering growers such as Joe T. Sheehy realized that peanuts were well-suited to the sandy soil of the region, and the legume quickly became the area's main agricultural commodity; by the 1930s, more than 150 farmers in the county were involved in the business, leading residents to informally refer to Floresville as the state's "peanut capital."

 

To celebrate the importance of the crop, the inaugural Floresville Peanut Festival was staged in 1938, and more than eight decades later, it remains the city's signature event; over 10,000 people attend the celebration each October, enjoying parades, pageants, the Goober Games, and myriad other activities.

 

Floresville's strong historical and commercial association with the peanut has been a source of great pride for generations of area residents, and it is indeed deserving of special recognition.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby designate Floresville as the official Peanut Capital of Texas.

 

That, in accordance with the provisions of Section 391.003(e) (relating to providing that a place designation expires on the 10th anniversary of its designation), Government Code, this designation remain in effect until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally passed by the legislature.