By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

A look at citrus, onions and discussions on the ongoing water issue with Mexico were a part of the 2025 Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Collegiate Ag Tour held in the Rio Grande Valley.

Students from Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University, Midwestern State University and Stephen F. Austin University were in attendance.

The four-day event exposed college students to agriculture in a different region of Texas.

“Collegiate Ag Tour offers college students a unique opportunity to apply classroom learning and bring back insights from tour stops to their universities,” McKenna Bush, TFB Youth Outreach coordinator, said. “This event is available to Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters in Texas and showcases the diversity of agriculture throughout our state.”

This year’s tour included stops in and around McAllen.

At the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo, the group explored the history and culture of the Rio Grande Valley, visited TFB’s Doorways to Agriculture exhibit and had the opportunity to interact with local livestock producers.

Participants visited the Old Hidalgo Pump House and Pharr International Bridge, where students gained insight into international trade and the security measures involved in agricultural exports.

“Visiting the Pharr International Bridge stood out to me the most because it’s crazy to think about how much imports and exports go through the bridge alone,” Patricia Cantu, a junior at West Texas A&M University, said. “I didn’t really think about that until I was sitting there and found it extremely fascinating that everyday products we use have passed the bridge at one point or another.”

Students toured Lone Star Citrus, where they learned about citrus production, and Texas Tech freshman Hunter Wernecke’s personal connection to agriculture made the experience even more impactful. His grandfather was one of the first citrus growers in the Valley before water issues forced the family to sell their land, some of which was later purchased by Lone Star Citrus.

The group met with Sonny Hinojosa, general manager of Hidalgo County Irrigation District 2.

“It was fascinating to be able to sit down with Sonny and hear from someone who sees the water issue firsthand and give us a new perspective,” Cantu said.

Another stop included Frontera Produce where students learned about onions.

“People go to the grocery store and don’t realize how much work goes into getting produce on the shelves. Seeing how onions are processed and hearing about water shortages impacting crops really connected the dots for me,” Wernecke said. “We saw the machines moving the onions around, but it was really cool to understand where your onions and other produce is coming from. They told us they didn’t have a good crop this season. They’re down in onion numbers because of the loss of water in the Valley right now.”

Discussion during the tour centered around the 1944 Water Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico.

“The Collegiate Ag Tour did a really good job of getting us a better understanding of the different issues in agriculture, such as the ongoing water issue with Mexico, and trying to spread that information because it doesn’t just impact the Valley, but all of America, too,” Wernecke said.

The tour included community service activities. The students volunteered at the Rio Grande Valley Food Bank’s Farm moving garden beds and planting vegetables. At the Hidalgo County Master Gardener’s Farm, the students helped mulch garden beds.

“Giving back and being able to volunteer our time there was fun because it was like a ‘thank you’ for touring the Valley,” Cantu said.

The tour was held March 12-15.

Learn more about TFB collegiate opportunities at texasfarmbureau.org/collegiate.