A rising interest in a dwindling landscape

A farmer's shrinking landscape

Johnathan Fritz has grown corn, cotton and wheat on more than 1,000 acres in the Hutto and Taylor area since 1973. He relies on farming as his primary source of income. In his 40 years of work, Fritz said he has seen a decline in the number of farmers and ranchers in the area.

"There certainly aren't as many [people] as there used to be making a living off farming and ranching," he said. "[I think the cause is] urban sprawl, and farmers nowadays have to farm 1,000 acres instead of 100 [to make a profit]."

While he plans to continue farming, Fritz acknowledged that future generations will have to contend with growing urban development in east Williamson County to keep farming and ranching a profitable business.

"I'm 67 years old, so I'm not worried about [the future of farming] for myself," he said. "I do farm with my son. So he will have to deal with it more than I do, and after that, I don't know what will happen."

Making way for development

Most of the undeveloped land in both Travis and Williamson counties is ripe for commercial or small residential developments. Honeycutt said most of his land sales in the two counties are properties used for hunting. Those looking to buy or build houses in the area typically purchase smaller plots.

"The people looking for larger acreage outside of commercial [use] are looking for recreational property," Honeycutt said. "Most [bulk land buyers] are looking in [other] counties."

In fact, although residential permits are rising in Pflugerville and Hutto, they are concentrated in pre-planned subdivisions. Most bulk land sales are going to commercial properties such as Pflugerville's 160-acre 130 Commerce Center.

"[The counties are] becoming less and less rural," Honeycutt said. "The land is just being gobbled up by development."

School agriculture programs

Despite a disappearing local farming and ranching landscape, Pflugerville ISD has seen a 245 percent leap in enrollment in its agricultural programs, from 143 students in the 2009–10 school year to 494 students in 2012–13.

The district offers career pathways, which are class sequences that allow high school students to explore different job fields. Its Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources pathway includes subjects such as welding, horticulture, floral design, wildlife and fisheries studies, and animal science.

"Agriculture programs are important for many different reasons. When you think about the state of Texas, there's a good job market and schools that have strong agriculture programs to give students experience," said Ryan Merritt, PISD's director of career and technical education.

Merritt said most students in the agriculture pathway have expressed intents to pursue post-secondary education and/or employment in the field.

Hutto ISD has also seen increased enrollment in its agricultural programs, though officials attribute the rise to grouping classes into career clusters, similar to PISD's career pathways.

"We have seen an increase in enrollment in our agriculture programs because we've restructured our programs," said Emily Grobe, Hutto ISD public information officer. "We have more students going into agriculture courses because it's easier to add in their schedules."

An increased job pool

Though traditional farming and ranching may no longer be viable job options for many people, agricultural jobs are diversifying to include additional skills and job sets, including forestry, fishing and hunting, animal production, horticulture and aquatic farming, according to statistics from the Texas Workforce Commission. TWC data show the number of agricultural jobs available in Travis County have increased by approximately 50 percent during the past five years. In Williamson County, however, those job levels have remained steady.

Wages for agricultural workers are also on the upswing, from an average of $432 per week in the second quarter of 2008 to $535 in the second quarter of 2013 in Williamson County. Similarly, wages increased from $457 per week in the second quarter of 2008 to $499 in the second quarter of 2013 in Travis County.

Although the TWC numbers do not include self-employed farmers and ranchers, they do suggest an increased or sustained demand for workers in agricultural-related fields, which in turn is supporting traditional farming and ranching practices.

"Without question agricultural jobs play a vital role in the well-being of the economy both in Texas and nationwide," said Mark Lavergne, TWC's deputy director of communications. "These jobs help support the agricultural industry, which provides food resources and ingredients that go into food distribution and so many other crucial markets."

Some are attributing the rise in the agricultural field to openings in the job market and opportunities to start businesses. As a result, while Pflugerville, Hutto and most of Travis and Williamson counties are preparing for incoming commercial, industrial, retail and residential growth, agriculture remains a point of interest and an expanding field.

"When you think about the different areas [of agriculture], there's a huge job market," Merritt said. "When you think about farming and ranching, a lot of people doing that are getting older and are about to retire, so there's supposed to be a big gap in that career field that's about to hit."