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What a fantastic week we've had! We're really excited for the holiday season, and this year has just flown by. Looking back, it was a tough year for our farmers between rising costs for operating their farms and the unreliable and more extreme changes in our weather patterns. They've really struggled this year, with has raised the cost of animal feed, fertilizer, and pesticides (natural and synthetic) and, like all of us, the cost of doing business and day-to-day expenses has gone up. 90% of local farmers and ranchers operate their farms using sustainable practices that nurture the soil, which in turn provides healthy, vitamin-rich produce and makes healthier livestock and poultry. Dane Dunagin, Tomball City Council Member and local farmer, said, "It's been tough on everyone. 3 years ago, I was buying cow feed at $9.00 a 50 LB bag to $11.5 per bag. My horse and mule feed for a 50 LB bag went from $17.00 to $21.00 a bag. Corn prices went from $8.00 a bag to almost $12.00." To put this in perspective, I had to do some research. According to multiple university studies, I was shocked at how much cows alone eat every day, especially during the winter months when ranchers rely heavily on feed to keep the animals healthy and to protect pregnant mama's. (Okay, full disclosure: I'm a city girl, so I was shocked to learn that the average cow weighs 1,200 to 1,400 LBS. It made me feel a lot better about my own weight.) HAHAHAHA Okay, back to it. In this article by Ric Taber of Cornell University, it talks about the cost of feeding 18 of his cattle, including pregnant mama's, is an astonishing 65 tons, which costs them "$5,850 to $11,700 per winter feeding season!" Patrick, owner of Katerra Exotic, says he has 300 cattle so multiply those costs. WOW!!! Dane Dunagin also said, "Two to three years ago, fertilizer went up from $400.00 to $1,000 per ton. In 2019, fertilizer went as high as $1,200 a ton. Thankfully, it's back down to $550 a ton." To put that in perspective, a ton equals about 2,000 LBS, and 1 acre needs about 260 LBS of fertilizer. It's becoming more and more important that we, as a community, advocate for changes in our laws to help protect our smaller local, rural, and urban farms around the country. They are the catalyst that will save our soil and our health. Big AG farms wreak havoc on our soil health due to erosion, over-farming, and the use of harmful fertilizers and pesticides that leech not only into the soil but into our food we put on our tables every day. UPCOMING TFM EVENTS and City of Tomball Events:
 Important Tomball Farmers Market Polar Express Event Update: Date and Tome change! Event moved to December 7,2024 from 9 am to 1 pm! Customers will have more opportunities to shop local and enjoy a full day with your family in Old Tomball. The City of Tomball is having their Deck the Depot Event from 4 pm to 8pm as well.  The Texas Center for Local Food (TCLF) is collaborating with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Council for Healthy Food Systems, and Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance to host an online info session about the Texas Climate Smart Initiative. Texas Climate Smart Initiative Info Session – November 19, 2024 – 6:30 – 8:00 PM CSTRegister: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsc-GhrzMqHdZl-a1REdvKi_uScqgUPK8y The Texas Climate Smart Initiative (TCSI) is a new 5-year program run primarily by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board along with Texas A&M AgriLife and Texas universities. The program has a total of $38.8 million to help producers implement climate-smart practices including cover cropping, silvopasture, irrigation, tree establishment, and much more. If you are:
 Vendors NOT Attending 11/16/24 Lolita's Specialty Goods Moss Family Farms Beautiful Bliss The Sauce Factory (no longer vending) Della Casa Pasta (No longer vending, opened beautiful store.) We can't wait to serve you and share our wonderful community with you this weekend!
~Tomball Farmers Market Amanda Kelly and John Almquist |
