# data[].attributes.body
Agriculture is a huge economic sector in the RGV. Both my grandparents worked the majority of their adult lives in the fields, until my grandpa passed away from cancer in his mid 50's. We believe his cancer was tied to the extensive pesticides he was exposed to daily for decades. This is an example of an institution (the government) failing its citizens by not having strict environmental laws during the majority of the time my grandpa (and others) worked, leading to cancers and sickness

# data[].attributes.body
https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2023/01/30/texas-am-meets-agricultural-economics-educational-needs-in-rio-grande-valley/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Department of Agricultural Economics at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is helping meet needs and address challenges for agriculture and agribusiness in the Rio Grande Valley by selecting a key group of professors to teach undergraduate students at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen.

"The globalization of agriculture, new technologies, advanced nutritional and environmental consciousness, and new U.S. and foreign policies are creating the need for agriculture-related industries to hire graduates with strong backgrounds in applied economics, business principles and leadership," said Rudy Nayga, Ph.D., head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station.

Nayga said whether a student has an interest in business, entrepreneurship, sales, finance, managing natural resources or in government policy, degrees in the department offer the flexibility and knowledge base necessary for employment in a variety of non-agricultural and agricultural industries.

"A large portion of the state's agricultural production and movement takes place in the Rio Grande Valley," Nayga said. "We felt it was important that we have a strong presence in this part of the state due to the size and needs of the agricultural community and the volume of agricultural imports and exports that pass through the region. It is also important that we provide educational opportunities for those interested in a career in agriculture, as well as provide research and technical assistance to those who are already involved in agriculture."

Establishing an agricultural economics undergraduate program

To help develop a more educated and prepared workforce to address the varied agriculture-related and agriculture-adjacent challenges in the Rio Grande Valley, the department established an Agricultural Economics program in the area during 2022. Course instruction takes place at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center, located in the Tres Lagos community of McAllen. Twenty-one students are currently enrolled in the program, with the goal of doubling that enrollment in the fall.

In the future, the department anticipates offering additional undergraduate degrees at the center relating to finance and real estate, policy and economic analysis, and rural entrepreneurship.

"A reason we brought agricultural economics education to the Rio Grande Valley was that we found many students in the area would like to pursue college locally," said Dusty Menzies, assistant department head for undergraduate programs in the Department of Agricultural Economics. "Bringing the university to the Rio Grande Valley gives highly qualified students the opportunity to study and find better employment opportunities - opportunities we typically associate with a better education and skill set - in either the Rio Grande Valley or elsewhere."

Menzies noted that offering undergraduate degrees also allows Texas A&M to reach even more Hispanic students, as Hispanics and Latinos comprise more than 85% of the area's population.

"We want these students to feel they are part of the Texas A&M family," said Donna Chester, senior administrative coordinator for the department's undergraduate program. "When they graduate from the Texas A&M center in McAllen, they can get their Texas A&M class ring and can walk across the stage at graduation ceremonies in College Station if they choose."

Rising demand for higher education in the Rio Grande Valley

At the Texas A&M Higher Education Center, students have the full weight and backing of Texas A&M University along with the benefits of a small college setting. The programs at the center are rigorous and challenging and offered in an engaging, interactive and focused environment. Students learn in a state-of-the-art facility, with tools and equipment that will help them explore, collaborate and discover.

"Local university enrollment in the Rio Grande Valley has been rising for the past four years and this is a positive sign that the area is responding to an economic environment that rewards higher education and more specialized skills," Nayga said. "We believe offering agricultural economics-related undergraduate degrees through the center is essential because agriculture has historically been one of the Rio Grande Valley's cultural and economic mainstays in addition to being an important source of income and jobs in the area."

Agriculture's importance to Rio Grande Valley

According to data from the Center for North American Studies, CNAS, a part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, the value of agricultural production in the Rio Grande Valley in 2021 was about $663 million. For that same year, the value of the Valley's major crops - cotton, citrus, vegetables, grain sorghum, corn and sugarcane - was estimated at about $426 million. Additionally, more than 590,000 trucks carrying about 40,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico come into the U.S. through entry points in the Valley.

"Mexico, including agricultural imports from that country, will continue to be a dominant factor for the Valley economy, but new business opportunities that may also benefit the Valley could come from other nations as well," said Luis Ribera, Ph.D., director of the CNAS and AgriLife Extension economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Bryan-College Station. "The Central American Free Trade Agreement with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic will eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers. This will allow them to export items such as coffee, sugar, petroleum and bananas, as well as import machinery and equipment, raw materials, consumer goods, cotton, and fabrics."

Agricultural economics instructors in the Rio Grande Valley

So far, four Department of Agricultural Economics professors have been identified to provide undergraduate instruction at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen. Ly Nguyen, Ph.D., and Lucas Garcia, Ph.D., have been given full-time teaching assignments at the center. Samuel Zapata, Ph.D., Anthony Baffoe-Bonnie, Ph.D., and a third professor who will soon be hired will teach at the center and conduct research at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco.

- Anthony Baffoe-Bonnie, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, also splits his time between the Texas A&M Higher Education Center at McAllen and the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Weslaco. He has a bachelor's degree in economics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, a master's degree in agricultural and applied economics from the University of Wyoming, and a doctorate in agricultural and applied economics from the University of Georgia.

Baffoe-Bonnie's areas of expertise in agricultural economics include production economics relating to productivity and efficiency analysis, international agricultural development, and environmental economics.

In 2020, Baffoe-Bonnie received the Outstanding Young Professional Award from the Committee on the Opportunities and Status of Blacks in Agricultural Economics, COSBAE, part of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. He currently serves as chair for COSBAE.

- Lucas Garcia, Ph.D., is a Department of Agricultural Economics instructional assistant professor at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center at McAllen. He is currently teaching Introduction to Agricultural Economics and Critical Thinking and Decision Making in Agricultural Economics.

Garcia is also a member of the department's undergraduate advisory committee and is currently working to expand curriculum and upper-level courses to be taught at the Texas A&M center in McAllen.

He earned his bachelor's degree in animal science at Department of Animal Science in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, his master's degree in agriculture at Sam Houston State University, and his doctorate in public policy at Walden University, in Minneapolis.

His areas of expertise in the field of agricultural economics include implementation analysis, policy adherence, self-determination theory, mentorship and leadership.

- Ly Nguyen, Ph.D., is an instructional assistant professor of agricultural economics at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center at McAllen. Nguyen joined the Department of Agricultural Economics in 2022 after conducting her postdoctoral research at the University of Florida.

Nguyen has a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from Nong Lam University in Vietnam. She has a master's degree in fisheries and aquaculture economics and management from the University of Tromsø in Norway. She earned her doctorate in applied economics at Auburn University.

Nguyen's agricultural economics expertise is in international trade and policy analysis, supply chain and management, and consumer preferences and information valuation. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in agribusiness, agricultural economics, fundamentals of agricultural economic analysis, environmental and natural resource economics, and international trade and policy.

- Samuel Zapata, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, has been with the department since 2015. He received his bachelor's degree in agriculture from Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural University. He earned both his master's degree in applied economics and statistics and his doctoral degree in applied economics from Clemson University.

His expertise in agricultural economics includes economic feasibility analysis, the economic impact of new invasive pests and diseases, production optimization, valuation of novel technologies and product attributes, price analysis, and risk management.

"We look forward to adding a fifth member to this teaching team in the near future," Nayga said. "It is our hope that the agricultural economics undergraduate programs we offer will provide greater educational and employment opportunities to students in the Rio Grande Valley as well as help create a more knowledgeable and skilled workforce ready to meet the region's future needs."

-30-

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Texas A&M offers agricultural economics education in Rio Grande Valley- AgriLife Today

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Department of Agricultural Economics at the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is helping meet needs and address challenges for agriculture and agribusiness in the Rio Grande Valley by selecting a key group of professors to teach undergraduate students at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen.

# data[].attributes.body
https://rgvisionmagazine.com/mental-health-matter/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stress of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."

That's how most of us probably see ourselves moving through our daily existence as we relate to others at home, in the workplace, or out in the community. It sounds rather simple but as society becomes more complex, it turns out to be an elusive goal for growing numbers in all age groups.

The average American has an almost one in two chance of developing a mental health disorder during their lifetime, according to the WHO.

"Multiple social, psychological, and biological factors determine the level of mental health of a person at any point of time," the WHO reports. "For example, persistent socio-economic pressures are recognized risks to mental health for individuals and communities."

The Rio Grande Valley has a long history of struggling with socio-economic pressures like poverty, low levels of education and high unemployment, all of which combine with other factors like discrimination and unhealthy lifestyles to create an environment of high risk for mental health problems.

With approximately 1.3 million people living in the Valley, the region is served by only 34 practicing psychiatrists, with about half of those working at institutions, according to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Six of the Valley psychiatrists treat juvenile patients, but only one of those treats youth full time.

While reliable local statistics are hard to come by, national trends portend a frightening indicator of problems down the road, since half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

NAMI also reports that 20 percent of young people between 13 and 18 live with a mental health condition, that 50 percent of students 14 and older with a mental illness drop out of high school and 70 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have a mental disorder.

Moreover, a growing number of young lives are being cut short as a result of mental problems. In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death for individuals in the 10 to 24 age range, with 90 percent of those cases attributable at least in part to an underlying mental illness, NAMI statistics show.

All the while the number of psychiatrists and psychologists has not kept up with the growth of the general population, leaving many communities, including those in Deep South Texas, underserved.

But that could be about to change in coming years. In May, which was Mental Health Awareness Month, UTRGV announced that its School of Medicine received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to offer a medical residency program in psychiatry.

Starting in July 2017 the four-year program will take in six residents a year, who will be based at the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen and practice at various hospitals and mental health-care providers around the Valley.

According to Dr. Francisco Fernandez, inaugural dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine, the residency program is largely intended to help meet the needs of the Valley's growing community, which is greatly underserved in psychiatric care.

"We are committed to providing unsurpassed training opportunities for our students, residents, and professionals seeking graduate medical education," he said. "This will allow us to training community-minded psychiatrists committed to serving the Valley and improving the lives and well-being of its residents."

The program will be a multi-institutional, community-based initiative that emphasizes prevention, early intervention, development, and the education of residents in a variety of interventions, according to Dr. Arden Dingle, UTRGV School of Medicine clinical professor of psychiatry and neurology and director of the new residency program.

"We are going to be teaching them a broad spectrum of treatments with a lot of opportunities for people to choose specialized experiences, work in the community, and do research," she said. "The program is trying to utilize the strengths of the Valley and help develop services and resources in the area."

Rapid social change is often cited by mental health professionals as a factor in the development of mental disorders. As society becomes more complex many people have difficulty coping and adapting, and young people are often the most vulnerable.

Even as more psychiatrists are trained in South Texas, community-based efforts to raise public awareness of mental health issues and promote the importance of seeking help are of utmost importance, particularly when it involves the mental well-being of young people.

And on the front lines of the battle, parents who stay involved with their children's lives are in the best position to spot warning signs of mental problems and take action to intervene by seeking help from a family doctor or mental health specialist.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mental Health Matters - rgVision Magazine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stress of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."

# data[].attributes.body
https://riograndeguardian.com/report-generational-shift-in-valleys-educational-attainment/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
MERCEDES, RGV - Rio Grande Valley leaders on Tuesday celebrated what they say is a "generational shift" in educational attainment in the region.

At an event at South Texas High School for Health Professions in Mercedes, RGV FOCUS unveiled its 2016 Annual Report. The report spotlights successes in the Valley along with areas needing improvement. It shows, for example, that area students now match or outperform their Texas peers in eight out of 11 key indicators - from high school graduation rates, to FAFSA financial aid and AP/dual credit completion.

Luzelma Canales, executive director of RGV Focus, said she wants parents from all across the Valley to take a look at the report.

"I think it's important for folks to look at that, and it's important to say how schools do in preparing low-income kids compared to the rest of the state. And, we do a pretty phenomenal job with our low-income kids," Canales told the Rio Grande Guardian.

On the negative side, the report shows that despite an increase in higher education enrollment, since baseline, the RGV has not seen growth in higher-education graduation rates and workforce success, for both 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education.

Here are some of the highlights from the report:

On four of the indicators, RGV students top their Texas peers - in the four-year high school graduation rate (90 percent RGV students compared to 89 percent Texas students), FAFSA financial aid completion (56 percent RGV compared to 51 percent statewide), AP/dual credit completion (38 percent RGV compared to 35 percent statewide) and higher education immediate enrollment rate (57 percent RGV compared to 53 percent statewide).

On four of the indicators, RGV students are at the same levels as their Texas peers - STAAR 3rd grade reading (76 percent), 2-year institutions of higher education (IHE) graduation rate (16 percent), and higher education graduates employed or enrolled in 2-year IHEs (89 percent) and 4-year IHEs (78 percent)

When compared to the RGV FOCUS 2012 baseline, RGV youth showed positive progress on five out of 11 key indicators:

STAAR 3rd grade reading (six percent increase from 2012 baseline)

STAAR 8th grade mathematics (one percent increase from 2012 baseline)

4-year high school graduation rate (three percent increase from 2012 baseline)

AP/dual credit completion (six percent increase from 2012 baseline)

Higher education immediate enrollment (one percent increase from 2012 baseline)

Additionally, the number of 18 to 24 years-old students who did not graduate high school decreased from 24 percent in 2014 to 23 percent in 2015.

Finally, illustrating the generational shift toward better education access and success, the report shows that among adults 25 years and older, only 22 percent have some college education or associates degree, but 42 percent of the younger generation (18-to-24) has some college education or associates degree - almost double the rate!

Explaining the work of RGV Focus, Canales said that for nearly five years, leaders from across the Rio Grande Valley have united behind a vision - to "ensure that all Rio Grande Valley learners achieve a degree or credential that leads to a meaningful career." She said RGV Focus has been the vehicle through which the leaders have joined together.

Canales, a Valley native who joined RGV FOCUS in 2013, said progress is being made toward that objective, thanks to the passionate commitment and enthusiastic hard work provided by RGV FOCUS, a collective-impact initiative whose credo is "leaders united to change lives."

Dr. Stella Garcia, provost of Texas State Technical College-Harlingen, is co-chair of RGV Focus.

"We credit the diverse leadership from the education, community, business and philanthropic sectors who have banded together to make certain our Rio Grande Valley students find success in high school, college and the workforce," Garcia said. "While there is still much work to be done, we are very proud of the progress of our students and know it will pay off down the road."

Garcia said the type of cross-county collaboration among RGV education institutions is remarkable given the size of the region. The Valley now has a population of 1.3 million. It has 37 school districts, four public institutions of higher education and nearly 415,000 Pre-K-12 students. Of those students, 25,000 are seniors and more than 97 percent are Latino, Garcia points out. Additionally, there are nearly 70,000 higher-education students, of which 92 percent are Latino. In 2015 alone, students earned 25 doctoral, 1,379 Master's, 4,366 Bachelor's and 3,945 associate degrees and were awarded 2,523 certificates from the four public institutions of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley.

Canales said the 2016 Annual Report details how high school and college students in the region are performing compared to their peers at a baseline (metrics established by RGV FOCUS leadership in 2012). Furthermore, to provide deeper context, she said, it compares the performance of RGV students against their Texas peers.

"Also showcased is RGV FOCUS' commitment to strengthen each step and align resources across the cradle-to-career educational pipeline. The 28-page report underscores four strategic priority areas - culture of attending college, college and career readiness, teaching excellence, and dropout prevention and recovery," according to an RGV Focus news release.

Here is more from the news release:

Highlights from the report were shared with approximately 100 regional leaders at South Texas ISD's High School of the Health Professions. Speakers included Dr. Garcia and her RGV FOCUS co-chair Dr. Alda Benavidez, Superintendent of La Joya ISD. Also participating were Dr. Luzelma Canales, Executive Director of RGV FOCUS; community leader Alma Garcia, who led a lively talk with four students pursuing healthcare professions; and Katherine Diaz, a college and career readiness coordinator at Lyford High School in Willacy County. The four students were Jessica Abrego, Texas Southmost College - SC Medical Laboratory Technology; Lupita Reyna, a dental hygiene student at Texas State Technical College-Harlingen; Luis Silos, South Texas College, cardiac thoracic surgeon; Ramiro Tovar, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine - working toward a Doctor of Medicine. Two students from South Texas ISD's High School for Health Professions - Jeswin Vennatt and Xin Yee Ooi - delivered the welcome.

The Annual Report is the outcome of RGV FOCUS, a collaboration with Educate Texas, a public-private initiative of Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT). Founded in 2012 by a small group of district superintendents and higher education presidents, RGV FOCUS has since grown to include other key educators, nonprofits, community groups, and business and civic leaders dedicated to making major, systemic improvements to educational and career attainment in the Rio Grande Valley. Through the years, this cross-sector group - dubbed the Leadership Team - has met regularly to evaluate assets and needs in the RGV and identify shared goals, strategies and metrics to help drive the vision.

Challenges

The RGV Focus report also illustrated educational challenges the region faces. Leaders noted that further work is needed in postsecondary education. Despite an increase in higher education enrollment, since baseline, the RGV has not seen growth in higher-education graduation rates and workforce success, for both 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education.

"Regional collaboration is changing lives. While we celebrate our progress, we must recognize that the Rio Grande Valley's changing economy - ever evolving with jobs in education, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and retail/service - requires increasingly advanced levels of education," said Canales. "As we enter our fifth year, our ultimate goal is to improve our systems and reduce the barriers students face so more can successfully complete college degrees or credential programs."

Dr. Benavides wrapped up the event with these remarks:

"We graciously thank all those who have played a role and supported RGV FOCUS. Our journey to improve educational attainment in the Rio Grande Valley has just begun, and we urge everyone - from businesses and nonprofits to donors and the media - to join us in this momentous initiative."

RGV FOCUS Leadership Team

In addition to co-chairs Dr. Garcia and Dr. Benavides, the Leadership Team members representing school districts are Arturo Cavazos, Ed.D.; Superintendent, Harlingen CISD; Lisa Garcia, Ed.D., Superintendent, Point Isabel ISD; Jose A. Gonzalez, Ed. D., Superintendent, McAllen ISD; Marla M. Guerra, Ed. D., Superintendent, South Texas ISD; Eduardo Infante, Superintendent, Lyford ISD; Daniel P. King, Ph.D., Superintendent, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) ISD; Silvia Ibarra, Ed. D., Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services, McAllen ISD; Gonzalo Salazar, Superintendent, Los Fresnos CISD; Jessica Swerdloff, Chief of Staff, IDEA Public Schools; and Esperanza Zendejas, Ed.D., Superintendent, Brownsville ISD.

The Leadership Team members representing institutions of higher education are Kristin Croyle, Psy.D., Vice President for Student Success, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Sylvia Leal, Ed.D., Associate Vice President for Student Educational Outreach, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Shirley A. Reed, Ed.D., President, South Texas College; and Mike Shannon, Interim President, Texas Southmost College.

The Leadership Team members representing community-based organizations are Tina Atkins, Ph.D., Administrator for the Center for Excellence in Career and College Readiness, Region One Education Service Center; Tania Chavez, Fund Development Strategist, La Unión Del Pueblo Entero (LUPE); Chris Coxon, Managing Director, Programs, Educate Texas; Michael Seifert, Network Weaver, Equal Voice Network Weaver; Juanita Valdez-Cox, Executive Director, La Unión Del Pueblo Entero (LUPE); and Traci Wickett, President and CEO, United Way of Southern Cameron County.

The Leadership Team members representing workforce organizations are Francisco Almaraz, Chief Executive Officer, Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley, and Pat Hobbs, Chief Executive Officer, Workforce Solutions Cameron.

Funders supporting RGV FOCUS are the Greater Texas Foundation; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation; Ford Foundation; and Lumina Foundation.

The school districts of the Collective are Brownsville ISD, Donna ISD, Edcouch-Elsa ISD, Edinburg CISD, Excellence in Leadership Academy, Harlingen CISD, IDEA Public Schools, Ignite Public Schools, La Feria ISD, La Joya ISD, La Villa ISD, Lasara ISD, Los Fresnos CISD, Lyford CISD, McAllen ISD, Mercedes ISD, Mid-Valley Academy Charter District, Mission CISD, Monte Alto ISD, PSJA ISD, Point Isabel ISD, Progresso ISD, Raymondville ISD, Rio Grande City CISD, Rio Hondo ISD, Roma ISD, San Benito CISD, San Isidro ISD, San Perlita ISD, Santa Maria ISD, Santa Rosa ISD, Sharyland ISD, South Texas Educational Technologies Inc., South Texas ISD, Valley View ISD, Vanguard Academy and Weslaco ISD.

The higher-education institutions of the Collective are South Texas College, Texas Southmost College, Texas State Technical College-Harlingen and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The community-based organizations of the Collective are Educate Texas, Equal Voice Network, La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), Region One Education Service Center, Equal Voice Network, United Way of Southern Cameron County and Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA).

The workforce organizations of the Collective are Workforce Solutions Cameron County and Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley.

About RGV FOCUS

RGV FOCUS is a collaboration with Educate Texas. This is what the group is about:

RGV FOCUS, a collective impact initiative in collaboration with Educate Texas and Communities Foundation of Texas, was launched in 2012 to transform college readiness, access and success across the Rio Grande Valley's four-county region. RGV FOCUS brings together a group called the Leadership Team consisting of school district superintendents, higher education presidents, philanthropic partners, and business and community leaders. The Leadership Team is supported by action networks and advisory bodies, such as the Data Support Council, which lead the implementation of the vision and strategy.

The goal of convening the group is to transform the lives of the region's more than 415,000 students by aligning systems across the cradle-to-career pipeline to make sure each student is college ready, has access to and achieves postsecondary success, and pursues a meaningful career in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond. Furthermore, RGV FOCUS's work positions the Rio Grande Valley to support the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's (THECB) goal to have 60 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds in the state earn a certificate or degree by 2030, a plan known widely as the THECB 60×30 Strategic Plan.

are reporters for the Rio Grande Guardian.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Report: Generational shift in Valley's educational attainment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MERCEDES, RGV - Rio Grande Valley leaders on Tuesday celebrated what they say is a "generational shift" in educational attainment in the region. At an event at South Texas High School for Health Professions in Mercedes, RGV FOCUS unveiled its 2016 Annual Report. The report spotlights successes in the Valley along with areas needing improvement.

# data[].attributes.body
My community, like most if not all in the US, is a capitalist one. This has had devastating effects for low-wage workers like farmworkers. Through collective action, however, my community has been able to advocate for social change.

https://www.npr.org/2016/08/11/488428558/in-south-texas-fair-wages-elude-farmworkers-50-years-after-historic-strike

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you watch a watermelon harvest you may never think about the pink summery fruit again the same way.

Two pickers walk the rows. They bend over and grab the 20-pound gourds and pitch them to a man perched on the side of a dump truck, who heaves them up to another catcher in the truck bed. The pickers have arms like Popeye and the timing of acrobats. They like this crop because the bigger the melons the more they can earn.

I've seen that watermelon has no friends. They're sweet to eat, but hell to harvest.

These days, field hands in the Rio Grande Valley are supposed to earn at least the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. They have port-a-potties and fresh water in the fields, and crop dusters no longer spray pesticide on them.

A lot has changed since 1966, when watermelon workers in the South Texas borderlands walked out of the melon fields in a historic strike to protest poor wages and appalling working conditions.

They marched 400 miles to the state capital of Austin; California labor activist and union leader Cesar Chavez joined them.

The farmworkers succeeded in publicizing their cause - but ultimately, the strike failed when replacement workers were brought in.

Still, working conditions have improved in the decades since the failed strike.

What hasn't changed is the work: It's as brutal as ever.

"I've seen that watermelon has no friends," says Justino DeLeon, a 58-year-old retired farmworker. He fell off a melon truck and hurt his arm three years ago. He lives in a battered green mobile home in the town of Pharr. "They're sweet to eat, but hell to harvest."

"You have to be in great condition to toss melons all day," DeLeon continues. "You work hard in the heat and it's easy to get dehydrated."

It's not just that field work is grueling. Workers are vulnerable to getting cheated by growers and crew bosses.

Since 2010, the McAllen, Texas, district office of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has filed more than 650 cases against growers and farm labor contractors affecting nearly 2,500workers.

Other cases have been pursued by the farmworkers themselves. Six jalapeno pickers sued a grower named Bauer Farms for not paying minimum wage during the 2010-2011 harvest.

"Our pay was very low," says plaintiff Francisco Javier Alvarez. "One day we only made $30 even though the four of us worked late into the night."

He says out of about 100 workers who received low wages, few were willing to step forward and join the lawsuit.

"Some were undocumented but some had legal status and they still would not speak up," he says. "It's almost as if they had grown accustomed to that type of treatment from Bauer."

In addition to not receiving minimum wage, workers had to buy knives and work gloves from the contractor, which further reduced their pay. The Bauer Farms lawsuit was settled out of court two years ago. The owner, Ed Bauer, reached by phone, declined to discuss the case.

"It's always been a problem that farmworkers are not paid certainly a just wage and are not even paid the minimum wage," says Daniela Dwyer, a lawyer at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, which handled the Bauer lawsuit. "But it's a problem that's becoming ever more severe because the federal minimum wage has been stagnant for a very long time."

Texas - with the third-largest population of farmworkers after California and Florida - has some of the lowest agricultural wages in the country. It stands in contrast to California, where the presence of the United Farm Workers union has raised salaries for field hands.

"Oftentimes when we national farmworker advocates get together we joke about California being the land of Narnia," Dwyer says.

Agribusiness in general is suffering from a labor shortage. In some farms on the West Coast, growers are offering bonuses and better housing to attract pickers. Some farmers complain that increased border security is stopping more unauthorized immigrants, who pick most of America's produce. Then there's the nature of the work.

"It's a very difficult job," says Frank Schuster, a 63-year-old grower whose father came from Austria to farm this fertile delta along the winding Rio Grande. "There are other options for labor besides the back-breaking labor of farmwork (like) flipping burgers."

Growers have heard the criticism: If you want to solve the labor shortage, pay your workers better. But Schuster, who hires about 200 farmworkers a year, says it's not that simple. Agriculture in the Rio Grande Valley is at the mercy of market forces and geography.

"We have to put our product to the consumer at a price as cheap as other areas can do it. We have to compete with people who have a cheaper freight rate into the markets than what we do," Schuster says. "Georgia is a whole lot closer to the northeast (markets) than South Texas."

Many farmworkers interviewed for this report believe another reason for depressed wages in South Texas is the heavy presence of unauthorized field hands from Mexico. Of the estimated 2.5 million laborers working on U.S. farms and ranches, 50 to 70 percent are thought to be in the country illegally, according to the national advocacy group Farmworker Justice.

And Texas is unique. With its long international border and network of federal checkpoints on outbound highways, these immigrants are effectively trapped in the tip of Texas.

"The majority are undocumented," says Andres Jimenez, a former farmworker, born in Mexico, who came to the U.S. illegally. "I think labor contractors choose them (undocumented workers) because they'll work for less. A legal American does not want to work 12 hours under the sun, picking onions and pitching watermelons."

As soon as Jimenez got a work permit, he quit the fields. Now he's a manager at a Dollar Store in the town of Elsa.

This is where history repeats itself.

In 1966, growers in cahoots with the Texas Rangers brought in pickers from Mexico to break the farmworker strike. Mexicans harvested the melons and put picketing Texas workers out of a job.

Today, Mexican laborers pick much of America's produce. But 50 years later, they're not necessarily replacing legal U.S. workers. The fact is, fewer and fewer U.S. residents or citizens are willing to do this work.

Arnulfo and Aurora Gonzalez live in a tidy mobile home across the road from a field of spiky aloe vera plants. Aurora retired last year at age 80 after spending 60 years in the fields first as a picker, then as a labor contractor. Her bronze, furrowed face attests to a life outside.

Though she was not part of the '66 strike, Aurora well remembers the conditions back then.

"We worked from sunup to sundown and we earned almost nothing," she says. "When you had to relieve yourself, you just went out in the open. Now everybody earns more. They get an education. Now they have everything. And before, no!"

She exaggerates the current status of farmworkers. Today, young people who have other options shun field work.

Her fresh-faced grandson, Aaron Gonzalez, who is 19, sits on the sofa next to her. As a kid, he worked in the fields with his family, but he vowed last summer would be his last watermelon harvest. Aaron is going to St. Edwards University in Austin to be an athletic trainer.

"I did not enjoy it," he says. "I'd rather be in air conditioning and in college than be working from 5 in the morning all the way to 3 in the afternoon, in the sun all day picking watermelons. I'd rather do something else than work in the fields."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
In South Texas, Fair Wages Elude Farmworkers, 50 Years After Historic Strike

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you watch a watermelon harvest you may never think about the pink summery fruit again the same way. Two pickers walk the rows. They bend over and grab the 20-pound gourds and pitch them to a man perched on the side of a dump truck, who heaves them up to another catcher in the truck bed.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/us/border-clinic-abortion-texas.html

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/11/04/texas-abortion-clinic-pregnancy-crisis-center/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
‘I Can’t Have This Baby’: A Lone Abortion Clinic on the Border (Published 2022)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the Rio Grande Valley, women seeking abortions navigate the complex challenges of religion, culture and a new Texas law.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is Day of the Dead? | National Geographic

# data[].attributes.headline
My Community: The Rio Grande Valley (South TX)

# data[].attributes.subject
My Community: The Rio Grande Valley (South TX)

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.tpr.org/podcast/fronteras/2020-11-06/fronteras-adela-sloss-vento-both-abided-by-and-shattered-gender-norms-as-mexican-american-civil-rights-activist

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Home/News/Business/ McAllen, Texas helps bring "maquiladoras" across the border to Reynosa

·

The McAllen Economic Development Corporation (EDC) recently worked with officials in the Mexican city of Reynosa to build two new maquiladoras (also known as maquilas), in addition to a major expansion of an existing one.

The three maquiladoras - Indo-MIM from India, Delphi Technologies from England and Nidec Motor Corp. from Japan - represent around $80 million in investments and potentially 1,000 new jobs in Reynosa, which is connected to McAllen by several international bridges.

Maquiladoras are foreign-owned factories - many of which are in Mexican border towns, that import parts from abroad, and build products made strictly for export. In recent years, many foreign companies opened maquiladoras in Mexico, drawn by cheap wages and lower living costs, and in some cases incentives from local governments.

"We announced that there are three new companies that we have brought into Reynosa," said Keith Patridge, president and CEO of the McAllen Economic Development Corporation during a May 13 radio interview with radio station KURV 710. "Because of the changes in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement [USMCA], it creates a very competitive situation for the border locations for manufacturing, just simply because of the flexibility a company has to produce either on the U.S. side or one the Mexican side."

McAllen is a city of 143,000 people located 238 miles south of San Antonio. McAllen, only 11 miles from the border, is a gateway to Mexico with three international crossings in its vicinity- the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, the Hidalgo- Reynosa International Bridge and the Anzalduas International Bridge.

Both McAllen and Reynosa have been working together for more than 20 years and their economies are closely intertwined. Both cities are connected by the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, the busiest commercial crossing in the Rio Grande Valley.

Southbound truck crossings totaled 50,883 trucks for the month of April, while northbound trucks at the Pharr International Bridge totaled 49,762 trucks. The bridge made $13.56 million in revenue last year.

According to the McAllen EDC, Japan-based Nidec Motor Corp. will expand its current Reynosa maquiladora to 126,000-square feet and 400 new jobs. The company already has 1,000 workers employed in Reynosa. Nidec manufactures motors for cars and electric appliances.

Delphi Technologies is investing more than $22 million in its new maquiladora in Reynosa, which will create more than 400 new manufacturing jobs, according to the McAllen EDC. London, England-based Delphi Technologies manufactures auto parts.

Indo-MIM has a global workforce of more than 2,000 employees, with the majority based in India. The company produces precision component parts using metal injection molding (MIM) technology. Indo-MIM's new $25 million maquiladora in Reynosa will create 200 new jobs.

Maki Ortiz Dominguez, the Mayor of Reynosa, said her city of 612,000 people is attractive to investors because of its highly skilled labor force and its geographic location. Reynosa is located 9 miles from the United States-Mexico border, and 22 miles from McAllen.

"New maquilas are coming, we will have a maquila that will be dedicated to the construction of advanced internal combustion systems and will be an investment worth more than $27 million for the city," Dominguez said in a release. "We will continue to work very hard so that more and more companies will come and we will generate more and more jobs in the manufacturing industry."

Patridge said even though the USMCA has not been ratified yet, it is already playing a part in affecting cross-border markets. President Donald Trump and leaders from Mexico and Canada signed the agreement on November 30, 2018. It is supposed to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, which was established in 1994.

Some of the major provisions in the new USMCA, particularly in the automotive sector, require 40 percent of the value of the vehicle to be produced in a plant that pays at least $16 an hour plus benefits, Patridge said.

"USMCA is also changing the regional value content, which means that in order for a vehicle to be considered North American, 75 percent of the content must be made in North America," Patridge said. "There are a lot of opportunities and we feel like that if USMCA finally gets ratified by the three legislatures, that it is going to just blow things up down here; things are going to take off again."

The USMCA still must be ratified by the federal legislatures of Canada, Mexico and the United States. As a result, it would not go into effect until 2020 at the earliest.

Correction: This article was updated to reflect that Delphi Technologies is the name of the auto manufacturer opening a maquiladora in Reynosa.

Future of Supply Chain

JUNE 21-22, 2023 * CLEVELAND, OH * IN-PERSON EVENT

The greatest minds in the transportation, logistics and supply chain industries will share insights, predict future trends and showcase emerging technology the FreightWaves way-with engaging discussions, rapid-fire demos, interactive sponsor kiosks and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
McAllen, Texas helps bring "maquiladoras" across the border to Reynosa

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Home / News / Business / McAllen, Texas helps bring "maquiladoras" across the border to Reynosa · The McAllen Economic Development Corporation (EDC) recently worked with officials in the Mexican city of Reynosa to build two new maquiladoras (also known as maquilas), in addition to a major expansion of an existing one.

# data[].attributes.body
Pharr uprising in the 70s as a response to police brutality.

The picture above is in response to state-sanctioned violence in my community. As we learned in Chapter 6 of our textbook, there are disparities in health and safety in this country and my community is no exception. Section 6.3.1.4 states "Feeling cared for, protected, and treated fairly by state-sponsored systems  is a fundamental requirement for a healthy and safe life." The people from my community in the picture above did not feel "cared for, protected, and treated equally" by local government.

https://refusingtoforget.org/pharr-riots/

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/11/13/south-texas-voters-donald-trump/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Donald Trump made inroads in South Texas this year. These voters explain why.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Voters in the historically Democratic stronghold of South Texas are left wondering whether this was simply a strange election during an unusual year or a sign of a profound political realignment in the region.

# data[].attributes.body
A portion of the Mexico/USA border wall, which is minutes away from the house in which I grew up. The wall touches many of the different topics we have discussed in this class. It affects the environment by disrupting the natural migration patterns of animals. It affects the economy because undocumented workers work many of the jobs in my community. "sectors with large numbers of undocumented workers include agriculture" and as mentioned earlier in my Padlet, agriculture is the backbone of my communities economy . It affects culture by instilling a sense of fear when publicly displaying marginalized cultures.

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/international/borderlands_and_boundary_waters/pdfs/A_Wall_in_the_Wild.pdf

Works cited: https://www.brookings.edu/essay/the-wall-the-real-costs-of-a-barrier-between-the-united-states-and-mexico/

# data[].attributes.body
"Natural disasters...can open the door to further inequity and the resource extraction of a region during the recovery process. Vulnerable communities are more susceptible to disaster capitalist’s plans when they are in shock by the occurrence of a catastrophe" as evidenced in local years of intense flooding in the Rio Grande Valley. For example, "With a total of $106 million in funding, some corporate beneficiaries and elected officials interests did not always seem to align with the community’s"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The RGV's Response to Disaster Capitalism - Trucha RGV

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Impending natural disasters endanger the Lower Rio Grande due to the increasing climate crisis, which opens the door to inequity in our region during the recovery process. However, when community members and advocates are vigilant and active in the preparedness and public assistance processes, a more just recovery is possible.

# data[].attributes.body
Environmental activists attempting to save the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge