Garret Edmonds on the Public Lands Council

Update on Screw Worms with Farm Bureau Director Greg Buenger

Farm Bureau Director Greg Buenger provides update information concerning screw worms found in Texas. Presently, 100 million sterilized larvae are flown from Panama and dispersed weekly. Buenger says that 500 million were dispersed weekly during the epidemic in the 1960's. A Texas facility to produce sterilized flies should be ready near the end of 2027. A Mexico facility is also being built. Buenger also says that his experience with injectable Ivermectin should be a reasonable fly deterrent. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon everyone to keep a watchful eye on all livestock and pets. Screw worm flies lay their eggs in open wounds and the larvae are flesh-eating. Please give this your utmost attention.

Troy Fowler Talks Bowhunting and Broadheads for Hunting Success

In a rare departure from issue related topics, Brune and Troy Fowler talk about the simplicities of knowing your archery equipment. Both gentlemen have experience hunting Big Game and guiding archery hunters. Fowler reiterates the importance of matching arrow and broadhead weights to game that's being hunted. Much like a person upgrades from a 270, 308, or 30.06 with whitetails - to a 300 Win Mag for elk, a hunter must consider upgrading and trading speed for energy when hunting with a bow and arrow.

Jeff Barry and the U.S. Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus

Texas State Representative Jeff Barry, is looking to rejuvenate the state sportsmen's caucus. Presently, he has 55 lawmakers signed up for the once largest bipartisan caucus in the Texas Legislature. Barry sits on the natural resource committee and the caucus is devised as a communications network to alert other lawmakers of pending legislation. It would also stay tuned with the U.S. Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, as well as, fundraise for particular related causes. Representative Barry also gave his views on Data Centers. It's his understanding that they have closed loop water systems and that the centers are demanded by the burgeoning daily cyber needs of the public. One of his concerns is the amount of lost agriculture land. As per noise and lighting the night sky, Barry says that county commissioner's courts, though having no power over the plants, may constructively work with plants to be good community partners.

Garret Edmonds on the Public Lands Council

Garret Edmonds lobbies for the Public Lands Council in Washington D.C. He discusses aspects of the public lands debate and agrees that the ensuing controversy is confusing to the general public. There are various categories of public lands. Discussing them as  one topic is disingenuous to the conversation. Edmonds represents 22,000 grazing allotment owners. This includes both cattle and sheep. He defines the difference between Preservation and Conservation and relates the need for those ideologies to collaborate. He also broaches the corner crossing issue whereas public land access may be cut off by private property, and also the legal interpretation that designated wildlife species (buffalo) are not qualified for grazing allotments. It's his stance that the original intent of multi-use public lands benefits those places.

Aaron Weishuhn with Colorado County Groundwater Conservation District (GCD)

The Lost Rider Podcast featuring Aaron Weishuhn This episode of The Lost Rider Podcast features host Herman Brune sitting down with Aaron Weishuhn, the manager of the Colorado County Groundwater Conservation District (GCD). The two discuss the pressing realities of water management, local conservation efforts, and the political and environmental battles over Texas water resources. Key Topics Discussed: * History of the GCD: The Colorado County GCD was established around 2009 to ensure local citizens maintained a voice in their water management, rather than ceding complete control to state mandates. * Current Drought Conditions: Colorado County has been operating under a drought warning since March following a dry fall and winter, marking the first step toward potential mandatory water cutbacks. * Permitted Water Users: If drought conditions worsen, mandatory cutbacks would primarily affect permitted users with large-scale operations, such as high-production agricultural irrigation and major commercial wells, rather than exempt domestic or livestock wells. * Aquifer Recharge and Dynamics: The conversation details the three layers of the Gulf Coast Aquifer system—the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers—and how the Colorado River interacts with these groundwater sources depending on the region. * Proposed LCRA Reservoir: A major point of concern is the Lower Colorado River Authority's (LCRA) proposed off-channel reservoir in Colorado County, which includes a conceptual transmission pipeline designed to transport surplus water back to Austin and Travis County. * Environmental and Economic Concerns: Weishuhn outlines the potential negative impacts of the LCRA project, including the removal of water from the local ecosystem, the threat to the Matagorda Bay system, and the risk of devaluing local property and tax bases. * Shifting Stream Behaviors: The episode highlights a concerning ecological shift where local creeks and streams, which historically gained water from natural springs and aquifers, are now losing water into the depleted aquifers.