In the late 50's or 1960 my father-in-law, W.D. Price, my brother-in-law, W.D. Price Jr., and I purchased the Morales steer calves and received them at Antelope Wells and Agua Prieto.

Alfonso Morales was very handsome, distinguished-looking and a gentleman in every way. At that time he told me he and his brother Rene had 10,000 cows. He also told me when he was younger he had a steer operation running about 60,000 steers. He would go around in Chihuahua and Sonora horseback with his bodyguard carrying large sums of money purchasing these steers.

At the time I was in my mid-30’s and I imagine Mr. Morales was in his early 60's. My father-in-law was strictly a steer man and I liked some cows. I asked Mr. Morales which he liked best in Mexico. His answer was, "Mister Smith, for young men like you and my sons who are full of p*** and vinegar, and who want to make a lot of money, you should handle steers. But when you get old like me and want to sit around the country club and drink whiskey, then you should handle cows."

I have thought of Mr. Morales' advice many times as I have become older and still handle steers, especially in October and November, doctoring these little sick calves year in and year out.

I was in Mr. Morales's home the night of the christening of his son Toro's first child, which I am sure is one of the boys the article was about. It was quite an affair.

Thanks for listening to me. I have enjoyed the Livestock Weekly, being a subscriber for I imagine 40 years.

Vester Smith
Higgins, Texas

Dear Sir,
According to some leaders in Texas agriculture, it's time to clean house at the Texas Farm Bureau. In a May 19 letter to TFB President Bob Stallman, Evetts Haley of Haley Ranches called for the resignation of Stallman along with some of the TFB state directors. Danny McFadin, president of Uvalde County FB, echoed Haley's sentiments: "I think the TFB needs some rearranging at the top. We need a president that is more interested in what is best for the organization than what is best for himself. Also, some of the top level staff should be replaced."

So, what has the TFB done to engender such hostility amongst its own? Many within the TFB feel that the organization has departed from its original mission. According to Mason County Farm Bureau director Janet Willmann, "The TFB was established, not as an insurance company, but as an advocate for the farming and ranching communities, and thus became known as 'The Voice of Agriculture'."

Jim Haley, President of Hemphill County FB, noted that, "In the past, the TFB prided themselves as a grassroots organization where the voice of the members were heard."

Haley, Willmann, and a host of TFB faithful believe that the organization has betrayed the interests of the agricultural community in order to further the political interests of its corporate business ventures.

Evetts Haley, in a June 8 letter to county Farm Bureau presidents, noted that, "As a TFB member, I am truly concerned about the leadership of the organization. TFB has stopped listening to its members and has become nothing more than a 'top down' rather than a 'bottom up' organization. Ours is supposed to be a grassroots organization, but Waco seems to have lost touch with TFB's core membership."

Two recent events which Haley and others have cited as cause for concern are the TFB endorsement of John Sharp for Lt. Governor and the TFB involvement in the "Safe Harbor" Central Texas Rare Species Conservation Plan.

The residents of Central Texas are familiar with the strife caused by the TFB's involvement in the "Safe Harbor" plan: TFB's unwarranted attack against two property rights defenders, the American Land Foundation and Liberty Matters; TFB's refusal to respond to a regionally unified grassroots opposition to the plan; a TFB staffer's admission of playing politics with the Governor's office over the plan; and TFB's final retreat from the plan with the suspect claim that it was because of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's inability to maintain landowner confidentiality (according to one steering committee member, that confidentially issue had always been present and had been addressed long before TFB's withdrawal from the plan).

The other point of contention cited by Haley, the TFB endorsement of Sharp, is creating a groundswell of opposition across the state. Farm Bureaus in Stephens, Hemphill, Wheeler, Gray and Roberts counties have already rejected the TFB's endorsement of Sharp.

An AP story in the May 30 Waco Tribune Herald noted that, "Some members of the state's largest and most influential farming organization say the decision to abandon Perry after supporting him in three previous elections is an example of how the Farm Bureau's Board of Directors has stopped listening to members and become too politically motivated. They say the decision to back Sharp this November could brew into a power struggle within the organization."

Regarding the Sharp endorsement, Danny McFadin said that, "I was somewhat confused as to why the Farm Bureau did not endorse Rick Perry, a farmer, a rancher, and our agriculture commissioner. Rick Perry would never support the elimination of the motor fuel ag exemption as his opponent did, nor would he vote against the brucellosis control program or against the effort to exempt livestock and fowl from property tax. John Sharp did."

"As Farm Bureau members worked diligently for Rick Perry to oust Jim Hightower in 1990, John Sharp went against the Farm Bureau to support Hightower. Sharp also served as state chairman for presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988, backed Bill Clinton over George Bush in 1992, and supported Ann Richards in 1990 and 1994. We believe who a person or organization stands behind says a lot about them and their views. This is why TFB's endorsement is so critical and why we want the man who has stood behind us to be recognized."

McFadin was also unhappy over Sharp's support for the elimination of the Wool and Mohair incentives in 1993 as a concession to (Vice President Al) Gore's plan to "reinvent government." Rick Perry explained his support of the incentives in a 1993 letter to the editor: "The wool and mohair program has been self-supporting and self-financed since 1954, when a tariff was imposed on all imported wool and mohair products to protect U.S. producers against unfair foreign competition. Most of the revenue collected goes to Uncle Sam, who has kept more than $5 billion of the total $7.4 billion in earnings ..."

Evetts Haley was perplexed by TFB's endorsement of Sharp, "Why? Why is just not a strong enough word to adequately pose the question or questions precipitated by the Board's action in authorizing the TFB PAC's endorsement of John Sharp for Lt. Governor of Texas. Why, after candidate Rick Perry has so well served the interests of agriculture these many years since his election to the House of Representatives, followed by that as Commissioner of Agriculture? Why since he has acted favorably on virtually everything the TFB would have him do? Why drop him now? What have you promised John Sharp? Why is it so sensitive it has to be kept secret? Does it have something to do with John Sharp's employment of the son of Vernie Glasson, the TFB's top paid staffman?"

Evett's son, Jeff Haley, who is a Gray/Roberts County FB director, declared that their county organization felt like they had been railroaded on the Sharp endorsement. In February TFB sent out a slate of candidates with a request for input from the counties, but for some reason the contenders for Lt. Governor were not included. The Sharp/Perry race was not sent out for input until much later, and the Gray/Roberts County FB was not able to muster a quorum before the TFB May 5 endorsement was made.

It would appear that grassroots agricultural producers have determined to go to war over the heart and soul of the TFB. Between now and the TFB convention in Lubbock will be a crucial time for Texas' largest agricultural organization.

The McFadins, Haleys and others engaged in this struggle are fighters from way back. McFadin has been party to five lawsuits on behalf of agricultural producers. In the 50's, Evetts Haley fought the newly implemented allotment system, which kept him from selling wheat harvested from his winter pastures, all the way to the Supreme Court.

The Haley family has fought in many important battles through the years. Haleys were present at Yorktown when Cornwallis surrendered, on the prairies of San Jacinto when Santa Anna was captured, and at the siege of Vicksburg during The War Between the States. In 1964, Evett's father, J. Evetts Haley, was daring enough to expose the corruption surrounding then President Johnson in his book, A Texan Looks at Lyndon. With folks like these championing the grassroots cause, Mr. Stallman and Mr. Glasson might be well advised to beat a retreat to friendlier climes.

Michael Leamons
Mason, Texas

(Editor’s note: What follows is the Associated Press story cited in the letter, and a Livestock Weekly original on the same subject. We have no intention of riding a horse into the ground, but despite their considerable similarities, each article also covers slightly different terrain.)

Farm Bureau Pac’s Endorsement
Of Sharp Over Perry Questioned

LUBBOCK, Texas —(AP)— For Texas Farm Bureau member Jim Haley, voting for farmer-turned-politician Rick Perry has become as regular as planting wheat before heavy spring rains.

So when Haley learned that the leadership of the 312,000-member Farm Bureau had voted to support Comptroller John Sharp over Perry, the state's agriculture commissioner, in the upcoming race for lieutenant governor, he knew the Bureau had severed its grass roots.

"I'm not sure what kind of deals they are cutting these days, but it seems like things are certainly changing," Haley said. "They can't honestly believe that most members support Sharp. We've been voting for Perry for years."

Some members of the state's largest and most influential farming organization say the decision to abandon Perry after supporting him in three previous elections is an example of how the Farm Bureau's board of directors have stopped listening to members and become too politically motivated.

They say the decision to back Sharp this November could brew into a power struggle within the organization.

"Many people felt that, at the most, we should stay neutral in the campaign," said Paul Macina, another Farm Bureau member who supports Perry. "But supporting Sharp seems outrageous."

Macina said he does not consider the endorsement a done deal, adding that he's looking into what can be done to change the organization's stance.

"I am speaking on behalf of those Farm Bureau members who don't agree with the decision when I say that we want to see some sort of change," Macina said. "Exactly what, we're not sure."

Farm Bureau spokesman Gene Hall said complaints are coming from only a few disgruntled members. He noted that a majority of the board would not have voted to support Sharp if their constituents didn't feel he was the better candidate.

"They have to be elected every two years, so they wouldn't last long if they started voting against what the folks at home wanted," Hall said.

Board member Delmas McCormick of Lubbock said he was doing exactly what the people who elected him wanted.

"It seemed like the majority liked Sharp," McCormick said. "I don't think this was a big controversy in my district."

Some insiders say the decision to support Sharp was made because of Perry's support of the home equity loan constitutional amendment, which the bureau officially panned. Others fear some link to the fact Farm Bureau executive director Ernie Glasson has a son who has worked in Sharp's office for four years.

"Who knows what might have been promised?" Haley said.

Glasson, who is not a voting member of the board, emphatically denied any deals have been cut.

"There's not any type of campaign connection — period," he said. "That's a dog that just don't hunt."

Another issue causing friction between Farm Bureau members and leaders is a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department plan to encourage landowners to improve habitats for endangered species.

Members say the board supported it, but a Bureau staffer claims the panel was only considering it, partially at the behest of the governor's office.

Some farmers and ranchers strongly objected the proposal, which was aimed mostly at protecting the black-capped vireo and the golden-cheeked warbler, because it could have led to restrictions on how the land could be used.

Farm Bureau regulatory staff member Don Petty said the confusion over the board's stance may have been caused by the organization's attempt to add a provision to the proposal that would've made some information confidential.

"When we realized confidentiality wasn't possible, we realized the plan wouldn't really be feasible," Petty said. "If people were upset, it was because of misinformation."

Michael Leamons, a rancher near Austin, said the Bureau blasted a group that was against the plan and seemed resistant to responding to members.

"The pressure, which came from a clear majority of the members, was tremendous before we could see the leadership back away from the plan — and this is supposed to be a grassroots organization?" Leamons said. "With the governor's office involved, you have to wonder what the politics were behind their support.

"The board seems to have shifted from supporting agricultural values to its corporate and political interest."

Macina said there is a bright side to the recent controversies: the feuding will remind the board that not all members agree with their decisions.

"On most issues, I've supported the board and their vote," Macina said. "But if this is a grassroots organization, it's our job to make our opinion known and the board's job is to listen and respond."

Flap Over Sharp Endorsement
Making Waves At Farm Bureau

By David Bowser

Internal political problems within the Texas Farm Bureau may turn out to be more spectacular than the Texas Lieutenant Governor's race that sparked them.

The Gray County Farm Bureau voted last week to join a growing number of county Farm Bureaus in questioning a decision by their politicial action committee at the state level to endorse a candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

Jeff Haley, a McLean rancher and Gray County Farm Bureau board member, says the county organization will write a letter to the Texas Farm Bureau president and board of directors concerning their decision to support Texas Comptroller John Sharp, a Democrat, for Texas Lieutenant Governor over Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry, a Republican.

"We had a big, lively discussion," Haley said. "We agreed to write a letter to the president of Farm Bureau, our district director and the executive staff telling them who we wanted endorsed. It wasn't John Sharp."

Haley says the letter will be drafted and ready to sign at their next meeting the second week in July.

In an Austin meeting on May 5, the Texas Farm Bureau's political action committee, AGFUND, voted to endorse Sharp. The PAC is financed by voluntary contributions from TFB members.

Last month, Haley's brother, Jim Haley, president of the Hemphill County Farm Bureau, and several members of his board sent a letter to Bob Stallman, Texas Farm Bureau president and president of AGFUND, expressing their opinion of the decision at the state level to endorse Sharp.

Both brothers acknowledge that their desire to endorse Perry rather than Sharp was not unanimous, even within the county membership, let alone the state membership. But they resent having the state organization endorse a candidate as if they were speaking for all 311,000 members of the Texas Farm Bureau.

Because both Sharp and Perry have strong support within the agricultural community, many agriculture organizations are refraining from endorsing one or the other of the candidates in this year's Lieutenant Governor's race. Indeed, in their state convention in Arlington last December, the membership of the Texas Farm Bureau voted to stay neutral in the race.

"What a lot of it is is that they're cynical that the board, the state leaders, are not responsive to what the grassroots want," Jeff Haley says. "I think that's the main point."

"Many people felt that, at the most, we should stay neutral in the campaign," adds Paul Macina of Shamrock, who was a delegate at the state convention in December.

The perception, Haley says, is that the staff and lobbyists are having more influence on the organization's decisions than they should.

"Those guys have been there a lot of years," Haley points out. "They stay on the payroll and the board members come and go."

Another bone of contention is that the son of Vernie Glasson, the executive director for the Texas Farm Bureau, works in the comptroller's office. Glassen is also the treasurer of AGFUND.

"He didn't excuse himself from the meeting or anything," Jeff Haley says. "The guys are kind of upset about that."

Most felt Glasson should have excused himself during the vote, if only for appearances’ sake.

Danny McFadin of Uvalde County and Mike Lehr of Williamson County are also registering their protests, as is the Haley brothers' father, Evetts Haley Jr., a Winkler County rancher.

Noting that the membership voted to stay neutral in this race, the senior Haley, in a letter to Stallman, asks why that was not a mandate to the board of directors.

McFadin and Lehr say the endorsement of Sharp was handled differently from other political endorsements.

"Closed door meetings and secret ballots were not part of other votes by the board," the duo write in a letter to Jim Haley. "Why the need for these tactics now? The endorsement should reflect the will of the membership."

In his letter to Stallman, Jim Haley asks for an accounting of how each board member voted.

McFadin and Lehr have started a Farm Bureau Members for Perry movement. The Stephens County Farm Bureau also rejected Sharp's endorsement.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Farm Bureau spokesman Gene Hall dismisses the controversy as complaints coming from only a few disgruntled members.