By Gary Joiner
TFB Radio Network Manager
Conversations about modern farming and ranching practices were on the menu at the recent Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) Marketplace trade show in Houston.
Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) sponsored the Go Texan lounge at the George R. Brown Convention Center, and TFB members participated in a panel discussion on “Dynamics in Food Production and Distribution.”
It marked the first time TFB was involved in the TRA Marketplace, which is the second largest foodservice trade show in the U.S. The event attracts nearly 10,000 attendees.
Uvalde County vegetable grower J Allen Carnes, Bee County rancher James O’Brien and Nick Lindsey and Karla Macias, owners of Lindsey Bee Company in Kaufman County, visited with Marketplace attendees at the Go Texan lounge. Carnes and O’Brien participated in the panel discussion.
“Anytime we have an opportunity to come talk to folks, whether it be a room full of chefs and restaurant people or your mom and pop consumers, I think it’s great for our industry,” Carnes said after the panel discussion. “The more we talk, the more they’re going to know what they’re looking for, not just in the product they’re buying, but know where it’s coming from and think about, ‘Hey, these guys are doing things the right way, and maybe I ought to look for this product on the shelves a little more, and maybe I won’t have to worry about it as much.’”
TRA hosts the trade show each year to showcase the diverse restaurant industry. The event, which was held July 14-15, has been part of the Texas restaurant industry for the past 82 years.
As part of the trade show, TFB set up an exhibit which included a produce stand, beehive box, a live observation beehive and a monitor playing Meet a Farmer videos.
“I think it’s important for us to get out and understand where the consumer demand is coming from and what their opinions are, learn what’s trending and what people want to buy,” O’Brien said. “And then it’s important for us to be able to share our message of why we produce things the way we produce them. It helps them get a little insight in regard to where their food comes from and why we do the things that we do in order to present the products they can buy on the shelf.”
This event is one of many that TFB participates in throughout the year as part of agricultural education and urban outreach efforts.
“Farmers and ranchers are an important ingredient in food conversations, but they don’t always have a seat at the table,” Whit Weems, TFB director of Organization, said. “This event gave our members a chance to connect and build relationships with consumers, chefs, culinary students and restaurant suppliers. Like many of the urban outreach events that TFB attends throughout the year, the Marketplace trade show served up conversations with a side of Texas agricultural facts.”