From The Texas Tribune:
Rural Texas is at an inflection point.
For years, the state’s small towns have been shrinking. Drought has devastated crops. And this year a wildfire destroyed more than 1 million acres in Cattle Country.
And yet, Texans agreed to flush rural communities with billions of dollars to improve infrastructure. Oil continues to flow out of the Permian Basin at record levels alongside innovation in renewable energy.
Join us Nov. 13 and 14 at the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown when we’ll discuss where rural Texas is and where it can go. The two-day event will feature ranchers and farmers, elected officials and civic leaders from every corner of Texas and across the country.
Check out the full schedule and lineup of speakers, including:
– Dr. Deborah Birx, presidential adviser and professor, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
– Andy Holloway, Hemphill County Extension Agent, Texas A&M AgriLife
– Rick Rhodes, rural engagement coordinator, Texas Rural Funders
– Lillian Salerno, acting deputy undersecretary, USDA
– Dee Vaughn, farmer and Moore County Commissioner
– Jenni Winegarner, board president, Canyon ISD
Schedule for Wednesday, Nov. 13
- 2 PM – Investing in rural Texas – Lightning talks
- 3:30 PM – Protecting rural economies: A partner program presented by Lone Star Economic Alliance
- 6 PM – Rural Texas and the 89th legislature
- 7 PM – Reception
Schedule for Thursday, Nov. 14
- 8 AM – Breakfast
- 8:30 AM – Opening remarks and recorded interview with Commissioner Sid Miller
- 9 AM – Farm to table – and beyond
- 10 AM – Ghost towns, boom towns
- 11 AM – Growing our own
- 12 PM – Lunch and networking
- 12:30 PM – One-on-one conversation with Dr. Deborah Birx
- 1:15 PM – Fire, floods and rebuilding
- 2:30 PM – Moving Texas forward
- 3:30 PM – Closing remarks
Step up your support for The Texas Tribune! Donations from Texas Tribune members make everything we do possible — including our free public events. Support our live journalism by making a donation today.
Become a Texas Tribune member during the Symposium on the Future of Rural Texas and you will be entered to win a pair of heirloom boots.
Disclosure: The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
