Farming, Family, and Fashion: The Story Behind Acre & Rust

Episode 39 March 14, 2025 00:31:29
Farming, Family, and Fashion: The Story Behind Acre & Rust
Conservation Stories
Farming, Family, and Fashion: The Story Behind Acre & Rust

Mar 14 2025 | 00:31:29

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Show Notes

In this episode of Conservation Stories, host Tillery Timmons-Sims sits down with Ty and Chelsea Criswell, a farming couple from the Plainview area, to discuss their life in agriculture and their creative venture, Acre & Rust—a clothing brand that celebrates the farming way of life.

Ty, a lifelong cotton farmer, shares his journey back to the family farm and the challenges of dryland and irrigated farming in the High Plains. The discussion covers sustainability, water conservation, and the economic pressures shaping the future of agriculture. Chelsea, originally from North Texas, talks about her transition to farm life and her role in education, where she integrates agricultural literacy into her curriculum.

The Criswells also dive into the inspiration behind Acre & Rust, a brand designed to reflect the values and traditions of rural America. They share how the business started as a creative outlet and evolved into a way to connect people to the agricultural community. The conversation touches on the importance of cotton as a sustainable fiber, the misconceptions surrounding modern agriculture, and the need for farmers to be part of the conversations shaping the industry’s future.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of farming, creativity, and sustainability.

 

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Ty and Chelsea Criswell - Acre and Rust 

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Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:14] Speaker B: Welcome back again to another episode of Conservation Stories. This is a story where we love to feature folks on the high plains that are pioneering new ideas and, and doing things to promote agriculture and our precious way of life here. And today we have with us Ty and Chelsea Griswell from the Plainview area. Guys, thanks for joining us. [00:00:37] Speaker C: Yes, we're really looking forward to spending some time with you today. [00:00:40] Speaker B: I really appreciate it, I do. Can you give me a little bit of your background? You guys both from that area? Where do you, where you, where are you farming and where exactly do you live? [00:00:51] Speaker C: Well, I actually did not grow up in the area. I'm a big city girl. I grew up north of Dallas and we met in college and Ty decided to come back to the farm. And so I have been. Been living here for almost 13 years now, and I definitely wouldn't go back. I'm a small town girl now, farmer's wife, and I am very happy. But yeah, definitely a big culture shock for me at first. [00:01:16] Speaker B: Oh, I bet, I bet. Ty, what about you? What's your. Where Sounds like you grew up on the farm. [00:01:22] Speaker A: Yes, I'm from Plainview and so we've been farming. I think my dad started in 1980, so we've just been farming east of town since then. And, you know, even in between the summers at college and stuff, I'd come back and work. So that's kind of. It's kind of what I know. [00:01:44] Speaker B: Yeah. Is it something you wanted to do? Did you plan on coming back? [00:01:47] Speaker A: Well, I never really thought that's what I would do because I was kind of into engineering and thought I might go to graduate school somewhere. But I don't know, it's just. Just kind of like this is what you do and so just kind of fall back into it. I don't know. [00:02:04] Speaker B: Yeah, that's, that's kind of how, that's kind of the story that our family, my husband in particular, it's funny how life leads you different directions. My mom was like, I'm never marrying a farmer. And my dad was a, a music major and a music director at the time and then went back into farming. So you never know, folks. You never know. [00:02:22] Speaker A: Yeah, there's, there's some kind of draw to it. I'm not for sure. It's kind of mysterious. [00:02:27] Speaker B: Yes, it is true. There is something. I don't know what it is, but it is mysterious. So what, what you, what are you guys farming? Are you mostly cotton farming? [00:02:38] Speaker A: Yes, I'd say 80, 90% cotton. Because where we have water. We might do a little corn and maybe milo or weed. But cotton, I've always felt like this is. This is cotton country. So that's. That's what we're going to grow. [00:02:54] Speaker B: Are you drawling cotton? [00:02:55] Speaker A: It's about half and half. [00:02:57] Speaker B: Half and half. Half and half. So are you actually in Floyd or are you in Hale County? [00:03:02] Speaker A: That's about half and half, too. [00:03:04] Speaker C: Okay. [00:03:05] Speaker B: I wondered. [00:03:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:03:06] Speaker B: So you've got some pretty good rain, I've heard. [00:03:10] Speaker A: Did you get any of it over the past month? Yes. Like six or seven inches. [00:03:15] Speaker B: No. That's really a great time to get rain. [00:03:18] Speaker A: Yeah. It's gotten ball open, but it was pretty soft rain. It didn't knock it on the ground like we were afraid of. [00:03:26] Speaker B: So. So would you mind, like, for folks that are listening that didn't grow up on the farm, explain, you know, it. I know it seems to people that were like, we want it to rain. And then when it rains, we're like, we want it to not rain. So why. Why explain to folks why this time of year rain is. Is sometimes detrimental? [00:03:47] Speaker A: Well, basically the cotton is. Is dead now, so it really can't use it. And, you know, you get the cotton open and the rain just. The cotton soaks up the fibers just like your T shirt would get really wet, you know, and sometimes it can knock it off on the ground or hurt the grades later on. [00:04:08] Speaker B: Yeah. Because they wanted to be white. [00:04:11] Speaker A: Yeah. It's still good because the moisture's going in the ground and it'll be there. But, you know, we really could have used it in August. [00:04:20] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah. Because you're getting paid not just for the pounds of cotton you have. You get paid based on the quality. And so people may not know, but like cotton is, it's graded based on the length and the strength and the color. And so those things can really be impacted by the weather. [00:04:40] Speaker C: How clean it comes off when it's being stripped. That's something that hurt us last year. So our timing of the rain can affect to just how much cotton's coming out or when we're getting that rain. [00:04:53] Speaker A: And so we had a bunch of leaf trash and got some B.G. bad grades. [00:04:59] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's something else, too, that's been coming up in the last few years is plastic contamination. That's a big deal. [00:05:07] Speaker A: Yes. Especially with the round bales now and making sure we don't. They don't get that in the gin with the. The wrap they put on. [00:05:17] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. It can mess the gin up. And then if it gets to the meal. You. Is it you guys that get fined for that if you have plastic that gets all the way to the meal? [00:05:25] Speaker A: I'm not sure we haven't had that problem because we still strip, you know, traditionally put the model builder and stuff. [00:05:34] Speaker B: Okay, okay. Yeah, you probably won't. I've heard of, like, plastic bags and that kind of stuff and just. Oh, people being aware of what they throw out on the ground. You just never know. Hey, that's gonna harm. [00:05:48] Speaker A: It'll be in the field when I'm stripping and I'll stop or. And have to pick it up out of the way or something. [00:05:54] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, it's been a long time since I've run a module builder. I remember when they came out, though, I. That kind of dates me, but I remember it was kind of like fun, you know? [00:06:06] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. It's our son's favorite job. He goes out with Ty's uncle and he loves to run that module builder with him. And he just needs a few more inches on him and he could do it himself. [00:06:17] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Give him a stool. Give him a stool. That's so fun. [00:06:20] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:06:21] Speaker A: This is pretty revolutionary change from what they had been doing. [00:06:26] Speaker B: Right? So that's. It is. It's really true because, I mean, I do have vague memories of climbing up into a trailer and stomping on the cotton to try to push it down and then, you know, riding with my mom to haul that, you know, to the gin and wait in line, and wait in line. And finally they had enough trailers. Where you have to wait in line is so long. But, man, a lot changes with innovation and it's really needed to change around around here because of lack of water and those types of things. How. How is. How's your. What do you guys do for. For dry land? Do you have any kind of. Are you tried any kind of special. I know some people are doing things like they're planting further apart, bigger water spacings. What we used to call two in, one out. You know what I mean? Or Skip row or whatever, you know. And are you guys trying any of those kind of things or have you found anything that's helpful? [00:07:21] Speaker A: We really just try and cut the population back as much as we can. So, like, really as low as the plan will go, you know, 20,000 or 18,000 or something like that. As far as Skip Pro, we. We haven't really tried that a whole lot. Obviously, insurance is a big factor in that. You just kind of gotta play with what they give you. As far as that goes. [00:07:49] Speaker B: Yeah. So that, that just. So for people that don't know like you, you want to get crop insurance, you have to meet their standards and anything outside of the norm is definitely not part of their standard. [00:08:01] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, you could, you could do skip pro and versus full planning and probably make this the same yield. And so you, you might, could cut your expenses back by quite a bit. But the insurance is going to say, well, you planted half, so you only get half the insurance. [00:08:19] Speaker B: Well, I know there's a, there's a really great conference that they held every year in Kansas called the Bottom Line Conference. And I. Their Soil Water Conservation District holds this. And basically it is any topic that impacts how much you're going to make at the bottom line, you know, and, and that's kind of what you're talking about here is like you could, you can do basically you're doing two different things, but you're getting, you know, you're getting to the same outcome, you know, so. But whatever you can do to lower your input cost, but you lower your input cost and then insurance is like, well, since it didn't cost you so much, we'll just not pay you. [00:08:56] Speaker A: Right. Which I mean, ideally you want to. That wouldn't be a factor. You want to worry about the insurance. [00:09:02] Speaker B: But that's a, that's a whole nother can of worms. And. Yeah, I don't know. You know, it's going to be interesting to see what happens with this next administration. I wonder like what they're going to. If they're really looking at efficiency. I just, I'm, I'm, I worry about, I worry about us, what they're going to think, you know, and where that's going to leave us here on the high plains, especially for, for dry land. But wait and see. Wait and see. And so you guys have a whole nother gig on the side that I have been following for a while. And I would love to talk about your, your business. And I don't know, Chelsea, I'm guessing that you're kind of the heart and soul of that. [00:09:47] Speaker C: Well, I'd like to say that, but actually I'm just the face of it. And it was all Ty's idea, but he, you know, that's great. [00:09:56] Speaker B: Yes. [00:09:56] Speaker C: So I can't take credit for that, but yeah. We own Acre and Rest clothing company and about three and a half years ago, Ty's always been super creative and he's always kind of had an artistic outlet that he wanted to look into. And we also just weren't really. He had lots of ideas, I guess I should say, for different shirts and some hats and things. And we just decided, let's. Let's just try it ourselves. Why not? And so, yeah, we have a message, and we have a heart in agriculture and just kind of wanted to spread that. And so we started with four designs that Ty came up with, and it's just kind of grown from there. [00:10:36] Speaker B: Wow. Well, I apologize for stereotyping y'all both into some little gender roles that I just didn't realize was still there. No, it's not. [00:10:47] Speaker C: Help people. I mean, I do. I'm usually at the shows and stuff, and I mean, I'll say a little stereotypical. I mean, Ty's usually on a farm, and I have an education background. And so being in front of people and doing presentations and things is right up my alley. And so, yeah, I take the front of it. But, yeah, he is truly the one coming up with all the designs and the inspiration and I would say the heart behind it. And I get to do all the. Not as exciting, but the things that have to be done to run the business side of it. [00:11:18] Speaker A: So. [00:11:19] Speaker B: I hear that. I do. So, Ty, what kind of. I mean, besides just, you know, this isn't just art. This is definitely a message. And what made you lean in that direction? I think I want to do something creative, but not just creative, but something that has a purpose. [00:11:35] Speaker A: Well, I guess I don't have to think about it. [00:11:38] Speaker C: I think it has to do with, like you said, like, the draw that farming has had on him and his family and his grandfather. He didn't mention him earlier, but it was also farmed with them as well. And, I mean, it truly drew us here. We had options to go other places. [00:11:56] Speaker B: But. [00:11:58] Speaker A: I mean, part of it was I'd seen, like, other brands, like, built around an industry, kind of like. Like mountain biking or. And I was like, well, I don't know if farming really has that. And it's. Everyone's passionate about it and cares deeply about it, and I just wanted to represent that. [00:12:17] Speaker B: Well. I think the name is really unique. I really love the name that's also. [00:12:21] Speaker C: Tied, I gotta say. It's all yours. [00:12:23] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:12:26] Speaker A: Yeah. I really liked Acre and. But, you know, Acre Clothing Company. I felt like I just need a little bit more to it. So. Acorn Rest, you know, kind of kind of a vintage feel. [00:12:37] Speaker B: Exactly, exactly. Out here on the Texas plains, water is everything. And there's a resource that's as vital as it is fragile. Our Playa Lakes These lakes are nature's reservoir, catching rainwater to recharge our aquifer and provide lifelines for wildlife. But now they need our help. In collaboration with the Texas Playa Lakes Conservation Initiative and the Cargill Global Water Challenge, SARAH has started the Our Legacy Is Tomorrow's Water initiative to inspire and work with landowners to restore and protect our Playa lakes. Each Playa we save helps secure a sustainable water future for the generations that will be coming after us. Whether it's improving soil health, restoring habitats, or recharging groundwater, we are committed to making a difference. Together, we can build a legacy that we can all be proud of. To learn how you can join in, visit the Playa Lakes Restoration Initiative page on the SARAH website. Let's keep Texas water flowing strong for the future. Visit sara-conservation.com so do you do the design? [00:14:06] Speaker A: Yes, I get my little iPad and draw on it and, you know, go through some iterations and. [00:14:17] Speaker B: Well, let me just say I do have two of the farm land, the acres, the map with the farm makers. And I had one for myself that I bought. And then my husband, who never. He is. His favorite thing to get is for us to not spend money, but he was like, I want one of those shirts. And so I picked one up at the farm show. Hope you won't hear this before Christmas, but. Yeah, ruin the surprise, but. Well, so I really think, you know, your. Your passion really is not just what drew you back, but that wanting other people to understand the value that. That farmers bring to society. And, you know, I think you're probably, I'm guessing y'all feel like me that's like. It feels like something is vanishing and changing so fast. Yes. [00:15:10] Speaker C: And that. And so I grew up, like I said, north of Dallas, and agriculture wasn't really talked about much unless you took those classes. And I'm still a teacher two days a week at a school that I've started. And. And so we make sure that we integrate that agriculture and just educating our young ones, even though it's all around them, they don't necessarily. They're not necessarily taught about it. And so just being really intentional with that. And so we want to do that through our clothing brand as well. [00:15:40] Speaker B: Yeah, that is very true. Well, this is. Are you writing your own curriculum? Are you using something that's out there and available? [00:15:47] Speaker C: So we actually use Texas Farm Bureau's curriculum that they have. Their resources are really great. We've been joining their live sessions that they have as well with farmers around Texas. And yeah, it's really awesome free resource out there. [00:16:03] Speaker B: That is. That's really fun. So are those live sessions with. Yeah. [00:16:08] Speaker C: So once, once a month, you can sign up per semester for live sessions with farmers around Texas. And we've done sheep and longhorns and grass was really interesting because, you know. Yeah. You just don't hear about where it comes from a lot. And so my students thought that was really interesting as well. [00:16:26] Speaker B: That's great. That is great. The school, is it in Plainview? [00:16:29] Speaker C: It is, yes. It's a homeschool enrichment center. So it's just on Tuesday, Thursdays here. My friend and I just started it this. [00:16:36] Speaker B: Oh, well, that's exciting. Well, we have a little bit of a common there and sometime not on the podcast. We'll talk about that. [00:16:43] Speaker C: Yes. [00:16:43] Speaker B: It's probably just be me and you interested in that part, but so I've heard about Farm Bureau's curriculum and I think that would be a great thing for us to link in the show notes so that people can see what that's all about. And I know. Be a great thing for teachers. What a great easy thing to add. Just. [00:17:04] Speaker C: Absolutely. There's even scholarships to. Or grants, I should say, to apply for. To have your own garden either at your school or if you are a homeschool family and you can even apply for a grant for a homeschool garden. And so they're funding those once a year as well. [00:17:20] Speaker B: Oh, that's neat. I did not know about that. That's. Somebody may need to have on the podcast and learn a little bit more about that. That's great. Super exciting. So it sounds like you guys have some kiddos. [00:17:30] Speaker C: Yes, yes. We've got three. We have a eight, six and three year old. So we're staying busy. [00:17:35] Speaker B: That sounds like fun. That sounds like fun. Well, I just, I'm, I, I'm wondering if you guys, what are y'all thinking about, like your kids, the next generation, and, and water. And water for. Y'all live in Plainview. [00:17:53] Speaker A: Yes. [00:17:54] Speaker B: Yeah. So, but like places like, you know, Petersburg or New Home or Cotton center, those kind of places, I mean, is that something that y'all think about and, and, and worry about? [00:18:07] Speaker A: Yes. I mean, it's going away. So the way I'm farming right now, you know, if, if they want to get involved, it's. It's not going to be the same. And I kind of look to a place like, like mealchew. I feel like they used to have a lot of water and now they don't. And so. But I still see a Lot of cotton around there. [00:18:27] Speaker B: Yes. I think, you know, we, we have a farm that's out in that area. And yeah, I mean, just the amount of water that's gone down, we moved there because there was like so much water, you know, and places that I saw that were growing alfalfa at that time were not any longer, you know. And so, yeah, we, we have a tenant and shout out to our tenant because he's super smart and he, but he, he's like, we're now, you know, it's split into thirds, really, the farm is, you know, because there's just not enough water, you know. But he's been so good about rotating and bringing cattle and some things like that. That has really shown some, you know, forethought. And so we've actually done better in farming now that he's been farming and not us farming. Yes. [00:19:19] Speaker A: Yeah, it sounds like, you know, you, you need more of a holistic approach, like, what are you going to. How is what you're doing right now going to benefit next year and so on and not just cutting back on cotton or, you know, that type of thing. Monocr. [00:19:37] Speaker B: Yeah, no, that's exactly true. And I'm, you know, it's nice to hear somebody in your generation, you know, saying those things and I, you know, and that you're still here and, and thinking about, you know, what can I do that will be a benefit for next year or 10 years or whatever. What do you think about, like, do you foresee, you know, before you retire like that you will be going back to grassland in some areas or more and more dry land, or what are you, are you have any kind of diversification, kind of ideas in mind or things that you've seen that might be working or might work? [00:20:16] Speaker A: Well, going back to grass is, I guess that's the, that's the last option. But it may come to that. It seemed like it used to rain some and you could grow dry land crops. And so that may always be there. [00:20:30] Speaker C: But these are like, we're in the beginning stages, like we've talked a little bit about, like, what are some ideas in the future? And just planning on meeting with like Ag extension office or just diving into a little bit more education ourselves on what are some different options that would be successful in this area. And there are some people doing different things. I know you had Leighton Shirt on the podcast and they're definitely doing some different things. And so we're in like the research phase of it without a plan. So we're there. [00:21:01] Speaker B: Well, I'm excited to hear that, though, because, you know, I keep saying, like, okay, we're going to hit a brick wall in, like, 30 years. Are we going to hit it at 150 miles an hour? Are we going to, like, figure out how to hit it at 10 miles an hour? You know? Yeah, like, we don't. You. But, you know, you can't. Robert Mace, who is. He's been a guest on our podcast, he's kind of like our. I think he's more of our, like, water guru slash comedian, because he's really funny. But, you know, he is like, if you tell, you know, if you tell the high plains, like, turn it off, turn it off, you have an economic disaster. [00:21:36] Speaker C: Right. [00:21:37] Speaker B: And that is absolutely the case. And, you know, looking towards other states, Kansas has done a good job as a state trying to come alongside their farmers and help them to figure out how they can reduce, you know, water usage so that they don't lose, you know, so much water, because they're basically, they're. They had a lot of infrastructure that was going to pull out because they're like, hey, you're not going to water here. We're not going to. We're not going to invest any more money in here. We're going to leave and go somewhere where there's going to be water, you know, and so it's a. But if you don't have farmers, you don't really need water, you know, so it's kind of a catch 22. But it excites me to hear, you know, young people that are, you know, thinking ahead in a way that is not like, I'm just going to use it all up and then we'll just leave. [00:22:27] Speaker C: Right? Exactly. Yeah. No, we want. I mean, that's part of the reason, too. We built Acorn Rest. I mean, we want it to be a generational thing. Our farm is generational. And so we want to continue that in all aspects, whether our children or however our children decide to be part of it. [00:22:47] Speaker B: We just want it to always be. [00:22:48] Speaker C: An option for them. [00:22:49] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. That's. That's a really great way to put that. I read an article the other day about a family. I think they're like somewhere in the Midwest, you know, where it rains. But they had, I think, five children, and none of them have chosen to stay on the farm. So they're about to sell all of the family land and everything. And the guy said, you know, but I feel like my contribution has been that I've raised five kids that are their benefit to society. Maybe not here on the farm, but in other places. And that was, you know, helpful to me because, like on our. In our family, both my husband's side and my side, both sides. When my brothers retire, you know, and after our generation, they're just, there won't be anybody involved. And my guess would be nobody will want to own the land even, you know, and so I thought, you know, just what a shame that that is. But there's, you know, they. That is true that they have gone on and I think our society has produced, you know, a generation or two of kiddos that have. They're benefiting. The world is benefiting from the work ethics that they. They learned and the things that they learned on the farm. [00:23:58] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:23:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:59] Speaker C: There's transferable skills that they can learn and take with them. And I mean, that's truly what we're trying to do as parents is just raise good human beings that can benefit the world in one way or another. So they can learn those here, and if they want to apply them again here, that's great. If not, then we'll be cheering them on. [00:24:18] Speaker B: Exactly. Exactly. Well, where can. If folks want to look at what you've got and purchase some of your. Your goods, which I highly recommend, where's the best place for them to go and find some of that? And we'll, we'll link it also on. On the show notes so people can click on it. But if they've got their phone in hand right now, they may, like, be like, I want to. I want to buy something right now. [00:24:41] Speaker C: Yes. Acreandrest.com it's all spelled out, so. [00:24:46] Speaker B: Yep. [00:24:47] Speaker C: And then we have Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok every once in a while. So our handles just anchor and rest, all spelled out. [00:24:54] Speaker B: That's super easy. Well, thank you, guys. Appreciate what you're doing. And especially for, you know, when you were talking about cotton, I know you and I started kind of. We were discussing that a little bit beforehand about the importance of people understanding. You know, I think it's easy for people to think, well, cotton, we don't need cotton. I mean, we need people. We need people that are growing food, which I think people sometimes understand that. That cotton is actually in our food supply chain in more ways than one. But what are, you know, what, what do you say to folks that are like, well, I'll just wear, you know, polyester, but they're also not going to carry a plastic bag? [00:25:39] Speaker A: Well, I just think cotton is better. It, you know, it feels better, it breathes better. And, you know, polyester. I read all these things about microplastics and pollution and stuff. And, you know, cotton is sustainable. You can keep growing it now and. [00:25:58] Speaker B: Right. Yeah. Bio degrades. [00:26:01] Speaker A: Yeah. And we've kind of lost a lot of the industry around here for cotton. [00:26:09] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't remember if you guys are. I mean, I don't know, Ty, if you're old enough to remember that. We had a cotton mill in Little Field. And I mean, we. My grandmother would buy denim from there by, you know, bolt loads of denim, you know, and so, yeah, that's. That's been gone for a while. There's a lot of talk about, you know, trying to bring some of that back and even Lacy. And I'll spend time with people that are in the, you know, the end buyers of cotton, which would be, you know, those brands and retailers that, you know, are getting. They're feeling the pressure to be more, you know, sustainable and to produce more natural fibers and at a price that, you know, people can afford. [00:26:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:58] Speaker B: And not just an elite, you know, like $500 pair of jeans or whatever, but something that's more accessible to people, you know. [00:27:07] Speaker A: Right. [00:27:08] Speaker B: And I think that cotton has a great. Cotton gets a really bad rap. And I don't. I'm not really sure. I think probably, you know, cotton is the, you know, that's the plant that you associate with plantations and the Civil War and, you know, the atrocities that went on, you know, there during that time. And then seems like it's kind of just carried over. And I feel like, how do we get ahead of this negative press where people are like, I mean, I've done some work in the hemp industry, and I think I can't. You cannot believe the nonsense that people will say, like, hemp uses half of the amount of water. And I'm like, that is not true. Yeah, exactly, true. You know, and had a conversation even with someone who wrote a report on, you know, chemical use, and I'm like, do you. You know how much less pesticides we use? I mean, like, so much less. You know, it's like when you're finally. When you're doing something that's good, it's like, no one wants to hear. Does want to make it bad. [00:28:06] Speaker C: Yes, absolutely. [00:28:07] Speaker A: Right. And we. There's also a large organic production up here, too. [00:28:12] Speaker B: Yes. Actually, that. That conference that we were at, it. It is an organization, it's called Textile Exchange. And it was actually started out of the organic cotton movement in Lubbock. And now it's. I Mean, if you're a brand or retailer, you're part of that organization, you know, and we need more farmers to be involved in those conversations because, you know, when we were there earlier this year, you know, there's just like a room of 200 people deciding how they want, how they want it grown, you know, and, and I'm like, okay, I think what we as farmers need to do is we need to come up and say, well, if we're going to sell you our cotton, we want to know that you're sustainable. So we're going to want to see, you know, an audit of all of your meals and an audit of your factories. And also we need your. All the buttons to be sustainable, so they need to be made from cotton. Like, let's come back with some of our own criteria, you know, why is it all on us all the time, you know, and, and so it's good to have, it's good to have farmers in the room that are willing to, like, you know, be the ones that stand up and make some, make some comments and add some common sense to those conversations, you know, because if they want it, if there's a market, mostly farmers, you know, pretty much there's a market, give them a seed and they'll get to it. To include farmers in that conversation from the get go is a much better idea for sure. And so textile exchange, you should have your next meeting in Lubbock, Texas. I'm just saying, just. [00:29:43] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll go down there. [00:29:44] Speaker C: Yeah, that's exactly right. [00:29:46] Speaker B: That's exactly right. Once you come to work, the farmers are so. Well, thank you all for joining us. And, and I hope that people have, and I know they have enjoyed hearing from you guys. Leighton was like one of our more popular podcast, and people love to hear what people are doing around here and, and how they are, you know, finding ways to stay in where they are and to, to sustain a way of life that is just really precious to us all. And I'm grateful that you guys are doing that and raising the next generation to do the same. It's a lot of work and I know more power to you guys. [00:30:29] Speaker C: Thank you so much for having us. I really appreciate this opportunity. [00:30:34] Speaker B: Well, friends, thanks for joining us for another episode of conservation stories. Acresandrust.com go check their stuff out. You know, probably my guess is their t shirts are 100% cotton. That would be my guess. So you can support the environment, you can support the cotton industry and our local economy and a very precious couple that are your neighbors. Right here in the Plainview area. So, folks, if you will take a minute to like and share our podcast, that is as good as making a, a financial contribution to us. It's hugely helpful and we really appreciate your taking the time to listen in. And we look forward to visiting with you again on conservation stories.

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