TALL Members Visit the High Plains on June 19-20

Writer: Tim W. McAlavy, (806) 746-6101, email: t-mcalavy@tamu.edu
Contact: Jim Mazurkiewicz, (979) 845-1554, email: j-mazurkiewicz@tamu.edu
 
LUBBOCK – Members of the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership (TALL) seventh class will get an
up-close and personal look at agriculture on the High Plains during their June seminar here, according to
Jim Mazurkiewicz, program coordinator and Extension leadership specialist.

TALL is a practical, two-year leadership development and education program created by the Texas
Agricultural Extension Service. Class members are volunteer ag leaders from all over the state,
representing a wide array of occupations and interests. All are actively involved in farming, ranching
or agribusiness.

“Tall helps these future leaders by increasing their knowledge and understanding of agriculture and related
industries in the light of today’s social, economic and political systems,” Mazurkiewicz said. “During their
two years of study, they learn the process of organizational decision making and the role of political
institutions. They also acquire a greater appreciation of how agriculture interacts with society as a whole.

“Our role is to help them develop the skills necessary for leadership at local, state and national levels, and
how to put those acquired skills in to practice. The intensive leadership training also equips them to deal
effectively with critical issues facing agriculture today.”

Class VII’s trip to the High Plains includes four days of study in Lubbock and Amarillo. Their June 19-20
stint here will include an overview of South Plains agriculture; tours of area agricultural research facilities,
farms and agribusinesses; and a reception at Texas Tech University with key agriculture leaders. They will
undergo a similar two-day session June 21-22 in Amarillo.

TALL participants meet eight times during their two-year study tour. Six of those meetings are seminars
conducted at different sites across the state. They also visit Washington, D.C., for an up-close look at how
agriculture functions on Capitol Hill, and embark on an international study tour. Class VII visited Capitol
Hill in April, and will spend eleven days studying in Russia and Poland in September.

TALL’s Class VII includes two individuals from the South Plains: Philip Furlow, Tahoka, attorney and
partner, Huffaker & Furlow; and Lea Lust, Abernathy, partner in Lust and Dodd Angus.

Other Class VII members from across the state are:
Dudley James Allen, Houston; Zach Brady, Austin; Curry Campbell, Sonora; Sue Ann Claudon, Fort
Worth;  Alton Wayne Cockrell, Oakwood; Debborah Elaine Danford, Austin; David B. Drews, Kerrville;
Edward Farmer, Austin; William Bush Foxworth, Navasota; Will Grote, Ballinger; Robert Hosford, Fort
Worth;  PJ Kalil, Brenham; Thomas Kelley, Sugar Land; Mandi Ligon, Stanton; Mark Miller, Robstown;
Scott Mitchell, Sanderson; Javier Moreno, Edinburg;  Paul Morris, Dawson; James Todd Oliver, Fort
Worth; Spicer Sigman, Yancy; Rick Smathers, Austin; Leslie Smith, Austin; and Martha Trubey, Dallas.