Winter 2016

CASE STUDY 2:
HOLLY FARMS
TALT’S HISTORY
Texas is losing productive, open space land
faster than any other state in the nation. While
suburbanization plays a role in rural land
loss, fragmentation is also a serious threat.
As large properties are divided into smaller
parcels they can no longer support agriculture.
Fragmentation leads to loss of wildlife habitat,
water quality problems, and higher demand for
county services
To address this challenge, American Farmland
Trust, a national non-profit, in November
2005 brought together leaders of Texas’
statewide agricultural, wildlife and landowner
organizations. The group concluded that a Texas
agricultural land trust, created by landowners
who understand the day-to-day challenges
of farming and ranching, will help stem the
irreversible loss of rural lands.
Leaders from Texas & Southwestern Cattle
Raisers Association, Texas Wildlife Association
and Texas Farm Bureau convened a steering
committee, and drafted by-laws and a certificate
of incorporation. In developing the philosophy,
mission and principles for the new land trust,
careful attention was given to recognizing the
landowner’s property rights and to ensuring that
those rights will not erode over time.
The result was the creation of the Texas
Agricultural Land Trust (TALT), a Texas nonprofit
organization. Modeled on agricultural land
trusts in Colorado, Wyoming and California,
TALT promotes the conservation of open space,
wildlife habitats, and natural resources on Texas’
private working lands. Governed by a Board of
Directors comprised of men and women who
own land themselves, TALT today has partnered
with landowners to conserve more than 226,000
acres of prime working lands. Created by
farmers and ranchers for farmers and ranchers,
TALT is proud to play a role in conserving part of
Texas’ legacy of wide open spaces.
with Texas State University to offer on-site outdoor classes
for its students. The first class, led by Dr. Timothy Bonner, a
noted expert in riparian systems, allowed 14 students to study the
microenvironment of the Devil’s River and gain an appreciation of
the natural world.
“While my family is committed to doing its part to conserve
land, we recognize that we can’t do it alone,” she said. “Young
people from all walks of life have to be exposed to the miracle of
the land, if they are going to understand it and value it.”
She continued, “Open space land nourishes the soul.
Unfortunately, I’m afraid people won’t realize how land sustains
them, until it’s gone. Imagine getting in your car, driving for 200
miles and seeing nothing but houses and strip malls. We would all
die of sadness.”
CASE STUDY 2: HOLLY FARMS
No Land. No Water. For Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh, owner of
Holly Farms in Brazoria County, these words are more than just a
slogan on a decal; they are a fact of life.
“When rain falls it has to have some place to land,”
Rhodenbaugh, who is a former teacher and retired employee
of Dow Chemical, said. “I’m not picking on developers or
industries because I appreciate the need for both, but when rain
falls on concrete it has a hard time soaking into the ground and
replenishing our drinking water supplies.”
To do her part to keep her working lands open, Rhodenbaugh
partnered with TALT to place a conservation easement on her
188-acre farm, which has been her family since 1908 when
Rhodenbaugh’s grandparents, William and Juliet Brigance,
established the homestead. It is located between the Brazos and
San Bernard rivers in the San Bernard watershed.
The Brigances hoped to launch a dairy farm but the harsh
realities of the climate quickly forced them to refocus their efforts
on cotton, corn and cattle. Today, Holly Farms is a livestock and hay
operation. In 2015, the farm was honored by the Texas Department
of Agriculture as a Family Land Heritage property for being in
continuous agricultural production for more than 100 years.
“The more open and receptive we keep the land, the
more we can utilize rain to sustain the population of Texas,”
Rhodenbaugh said.
The lifelong resident of Brazoria has watched the county,
which borders Harris County and rapidly growing Houston,
transition from sprawling farms and ranches to sub-divisions
and strip malls. According to the Texas A&M Institute of Natural
Resources, the Greater Houston/Coastal Bend area, of which
Brazoria County is a part, has undergone some of the highest land
fragmentation rates in the state.
“Water is something we need to pay attention to,”
Rhodenbaugh said.
When Rhodenbaugh served as a Brazoria County
Commissioner water for the future was one of her priorities. The
rapidly growing county has already begun experiencing depleted
supplies. Initially, her efforts got very little attention, but then
Texas entered a period of extended drought. The obvious need
allowed her to create a task force with representatives from
agriculture, industry, environmentalists and municipalities.
“We were able to suggest practical things that would make a
difference,” Rhodenbaugh said. “Now, we’re back in a wet season
100