By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

Two bulls have turned into hundreds of meals for Far West Texas residents, thanks to a donation from Pecos-Reeves County Farm Bureau through Texas Farm Bureau’s Farmers Feeding Families program.

The bulls, donated by McKenzie Land and Livestock, were processed into fresh hamburger meat and distributed to six senior centers and one food bank across several counties in Far West Texas. Each organization received more than 100 pounds of beef to serve those in need.

“They’re always looking for donations,” said Randy Hartman, Pecos-Reeves County Farm Bureau president. “They feed a lot of people across West Texas, and we’ve been donating to them the past several years.”

Hartman said the decision was simple to donate.

“It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “Most of the communities around are small. Everybody knows everybody, and if you see someone that needs help, you give them help.”

In total, the donation amounted to 1,324 pounds of ground beef—the largest single livestock contribution made so far through the Farmers Feeding Families program.

For the county Farm Bureau, reaching that milestone was less about numbers and more about the people served.

“These senior centers and food banks serve a lot of people who need food and help in the community,” Hartman said.

Food insecurity affects one in six Texas households, and rural areas are no exception. Donations like this help ensure that nutritious food reaches those who need it most.

“That’s what we do as farmers and ranchers. We feed everybody,” he said. “We raise the livestock and grow the crops and try to take care of those who need help.”

The Farmers Feeding Families program, coordinated by Texas Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer & Rancher Advisory Committee, encourages county Farm Bureaus to donate livestock, volunteer time, make monetary contributions and provide food items to local organizations.

Pecos-Reeves County Farm Bureau plans to continue its involvement and possibly increase future donations.

“We plan to do it again, hopefully just as large. Maybe we can even do it larger,” Hartman said.

For more information about the Farmers Feeding Families program or to learn how to donate, visit texasfarmburea.org/fff.