TASCOE – what does it mean to you? To most members, it means several things. To a few others, it only brings to mind one or two things. To the most active members, it means serving others, generally in a very quiet and “behind the scenes” way. Does TASCOE mean anything to others? Maybe retirees, or your County Committee. What about your farmers, ranchers, landowners – folks we call producers. Does it mean anything to your family or friends? How about folks in Washington – our Congressman and their aides there and here in the district, and our Department and Agency leaders – does TASCOE mean anything to them? And since we’re an affiliate of a national association, does TASCOE mean anything to NASCOE?

In my opinion, TASCOE means more to most of us than we generally realize. I would dare say that most members have never read the TASCOE Constitution and By-laws. Right at the very beginning, it states what the objectives of the association are to be;

• To strive to maintain and improve the confidence, esteem, and respect of the public for the FSA County Employees and for the Farm Service Agency Committees;
• To promote the welfare of Texas Farmers and Texas Agriculture;
• To cooperate with the Texas State FSA Committee, the State Executive Director, and his staff to improve the FSA in Texas;
• To be considered as, and be placed on an equal basis with privileges of other Federal Employees; and
• To promote the professional improvement of its membership.

Other than the name change from ASCS to FSA, this section of the Constitution has remained unchanged since 1965. That says a lot. This section says a lot. It has been the consistent effort of TASCOE to strive for these goals. Within each objective listed, there are dozens of ways TASCOE has been able to accomplish its goals. Through leadership, TASCOE has always maintained a strong voice in NASCOE. NASCOE takes it’s lead from the various state affiliates through area leadership. Here in Texas, our strong membership and leadership through the years have kept the issues and needs of County Office employees on the front with the STC, SED, and State Office staff. TASCOE is continuing to build stronger coalitions with commodity groups so that those agricultural leaders in our state know what our needs are.

Through the various TASCOE committees, each member has direction in accessing certain benefits and information in a timely fashion. Most importantly, each member has a voice through an election process, to ask those from their area of the state to work with the other district representatives and executive officers to address a lot of the issues at hand. And working together has been what has made TASCOE so effective for so many years.

If you stand back and look at all the ways that TASCOE is involved – that it interacts in so many ways and levels with State and WDC Management and staff, with NASCOE, with FANTASCOE (Texas Retirees), NADD, NAFEC, JM Marketing, Commodity Groups and Organizations, Congressional and other Elected Officials – when you look just at those major relationships, you can see where TASCOE means so much to so many. And all of it is in the noble effort of trying to provide the services our farmers and ranchers need so that they can stay in the game as a producer to continue to feeding and clothing this nation, and those around the world. If we need more staff (and that’s the number one priority at this time), then TASCOE/NASCOE is that vehicle. Would they know we need more staff if TASCOE/NASCOE didn’t exist? Sure they would, but it’s a proven fact that right here in Texas we would have much fewer folks onboard today if it hadn’t been for the efforts of TASCOE/NASCOE these past few years. The agreements we have with management help insure that we get a seat at the table, and to lay out our concerns.

And it’s not a matter of just getting what we want. That’s not in the cards – it never has been. But along the way, we have delivered input that we believe improves our agency and professional standing. We’ve had CED and PT upgrades – and, even with that issue, we think there’s still room for improvement and fairness. What we do is essential to agriculture within our current national ag policy, and it’s important that we have, retain, support, and train the best possible workforce possible. That takes working with folks in management who don’t always know, or come from the grassroots, to understand what we do and why. All in an effort to make sure that our services work efficiently so that we’re accountable to everyone; the taxpayer, the farmer, management, and especially ourselves.

What does TASCOE mean to you – more than any of us realize. I could have certainly said more to get some ideas on the table for you to consider. I leave you, though, hoping you understand the importance of working together. Our agriculture system is the envy of the world – FSA plays a very major role in that success, and FSA employees continue to give, as well as profit, from the association’s involvement in the whole process. Supporting every single issue, or attacking each problem exactly the way you would like is simply not reality. Take a step back – look at the whole picture – and I think you’ll have a greater appreciation and understanding for what TASCOE means to you.