by GENE HALL, Public Relations Director, Texas Farm Bureau
July 4th – the 237th birthday of our nation this week–will be quite a party across Texas and the nation. They all are.
As Americans, we know how to celebrate and the birth of our republic is certainly worth celebrating. I mean, a noisy birthday with fireworks is really something. If it is not also celebrated with common sense and good manners, then it can be a very bad day for someone.
Farmers and ranchers try very hard to be good neighbors. We realize that not everyone understands the how and the why of agricultural practices. Many farm and ranch families spend a lot of time listening to concerns and answering those questions, but being a good neighbor is a two-way street.
Many cities have banned fireworks due to safety concerns and, without meaning to do so, have exported the problem to rural areas. Much of Texas’ drought-scarred landscape remains tinder dry. A spark can quickly become a six-figure nightmare of a loss to a farmer or rancher. A single firecracker could ignite a blaze that could consume buildings, pastures, crops and burn livestock to death. All of that will probably happen sometime this week as fireworks are misused. Wildfire has recently taken the lives of professional firefighters in the west. That has also happened here and will again. No one would want to set off a chain of events like that in the name of entertainment.
Of course, the safest course for fireworks is to watch the dozens of magnificent professional displays in our big cities and small towns. If you must light the fuses yourself, know where the sparks land and make sure that no blazes result.
Happy birthday, America – let’s celebrate safely!
