Diversification

Imagine that you are Jim Johnson, a landowner near Columbus, Texas, whose cattle sales and agricultural efforts barely cover taxes. You have large tracts of “brush” that may have potential value, but you have no idea what plants are on your property other than oaks, hackberries, and mesquites, yet you are curious if you have something that can be harvested and sold. We know many landowners who can no longer profit from ranching or traditional agriculture who are looking for new ways to earn income from their land. There are already many businesses making use of native plants for commodities and most Texas landowners are not yet participating in these profits. An objective of UWP in this area is to assist landowners in each region to identify appropriate crop plants and to begin to participate in these new economies.As more and more native and naturalized plant products are developed and marketed more resources can be identified for sale by land owners. With more staff UWP hopes expand this service of assisting with diversification efforts.