cess brackish water without compensation to the landowner. Our position is “water is water” and with the current law, land owners own the water beneath their property. If the city wants access to the water, they need to pay for it. It’s that simple. We were successful in side-railing this bill. Power utility companies proposed a bill that would have
given them “senior water right” privileges during times of drought. This would have taken water away from property owners. We fought hard to keep this from passing. However, the bill passed both the House and the Senate. Fortunately, we have a governor who recognizes the danger-
ous precedent that this bill would establish. Governor Abbott vetoed the bill. These issues are not going away. We will be taking a more
aggressive offensive position during the upcoming 85th Texas Legislative Session. Our focus will be on surface and ground water issues and we will continue to work on eminent domain protection. We anticipate some great battles, and ask all of you to stand
ready to respond to Action Alerts when they are issued. We are going to need everyone’s help when the session gets
underway, to protect our property rights and the right to do business without government interference. As I conclude my report, I’d like to comment briefl y on the
great work that our special rangers and market inspectors do. They’re working on our behalf every day to stem cattle theft
and to track down the crooks when it does occur. Last year, our 30 special rangers investigated 758 cases
involving 6,423 head of livestock. Through their efforts, they recovered or accounted for around $3.25 million worth of sto- len livestock and ranch related property. Our 70 market inspectors inspected almost 3 million head
of cattle last year. They gathered critical information that as- sists the special rangers as they conduct their investigations. In addition to their regular work, several of our special rang-
ers were involved in the emergency response to the Christmas blizzard that hit the Panhandle. Stories about the activities of our special rangers catching the
“bad guys” continue to be popular with the media. Last year, media outlets ran more than 2,000 stories about our law enforce- ment activities. This is about half of all our media exposure. I’ll end by thanking our special rangers and market inspec-
tors for the hard work and dedication they give to the industry. And once again, thank you for your support during my term as your president.
tscra.org
Winters Rancher to Serve as TSCRA President New Leaders Elected
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Asso- ciation (TSCRA) announced Richard Thorpe, Winters, as president of the association during the closing session of the 139th Annual Cattle Raisers Convention.
Thorpe was elected a TSCRA director in March 2006. He most recently served as the fi rst vice president alongside Pete Bonds, Saginaw, who served as president from September 2013 to April 2016.
“TSCRA has been critical to the strength and stability of the cattle industry for well over a century,” said Thorpe. “It is truly an honor to serve and lead this organization in my new role as president. Also, I appreciate Pete for his leadership and commitment to TSCRA. Most importantly, I thank my family for always sup- porting me. I look forward to all that’s ahead for this incredible association.”
Thorpe, his wife Karen and their family own and operate Mesa T Ranch, headquartered in Winters. The Thorpe family operates a cow- calf operation as well as stockers and quarter horses. Thorpe also earned his medical degree from Texas Tech University.
Robert McKnight Jr., Fort Davis, will serve as fi rst vice president. Hughes Abell, Austin, was elected second vice president.
New directors are Donnell Brown, Throckmor- ton; Seth Denbow, Weatherford; Heath Hemp- hill, Coleman; Ty Keeling, Boerne; Leslie Kin- sel, Cotulla; Carl Ray Polk Jr., Lufkin; and Gary Price, Blooming Grove.
Kinsel; Brian McLaughlin, Midland; and Clay Jones, Brady; were elected as Executive Com- mittee members.
The Cattle Raisers Convention ended Sunday, April 10, with more than 4,500 cattle raisers and friends across Texas, Oklahoma and the southwest in attendance.
More Convention Coverage See more at
cattleraisersconvention.com June 2016 The Cattleman 73
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