TITLE: Commemorating the induction of the Beckendorff-Sword Home Place into the Texas Department of Agriculture Family Land Heritage Program.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the induction of the Beckendorff-Sword Home Place into the Texas Department of Agriculture Family Land Heritage Program.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Family farms and ranches are vital to the economic and cultural prosperity of the Lone Star State, and the Beckendorff-Sword Home Place of Harris County is being recognized for its role in this proud tradition with its induction into the Family Land Heritage Program on October 18, 2023, at a ceremony at the State Capitol; and WHEREAS, Sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture, the program honors farms and ranches that have been in continuous agricultural operation by the same family for a century or more; since 1974, TDA has recognized over 5,000 families whose proud Texas legacy has passed from generation to generation and who have served as dedicated stewards of their land; and WHEREAS, The Beckendorff-Sword Home Place traces its origins to April 1922, when Maggie Davis Mansell purchased 160 acres in Harris County; she and her husband, Richard A. Mansell, were the parents of seven children, William Aaron, Robert E. Lee, Bonnie Mae, Jessie, M. L., Richard Davis, and Richard Guy, and they raised swine and peanuts on their land; on December 12, 1940, the Mansell farm was struck by a tornado; tragically, Mrs. Mansell's husband was killed in the incident, and she was seriously injured; in 1967, the property was divided among her children, and Jessie Beckendorff and her husband, Roy, began farming some 32 acres; and WHEREAS, In 1973, Mrs. Beckendorff's children, Leland, Richard, and Ruby, inherited the land; three years later, Richard Beckendorff traded his third of the property to his children, Kay Beckendorff Sword and Randall Beckendorff, who harvested rice and soybean crops before transitioning to hay and cattle production; today, the Katy-area farm continues on under the ownership of Ms. Beckendorff Sword, great-granddaughter of founder Maggie Davis Mansell, who oversees a hay operation; and WHEREAS, For more than 100 years, the Beckendorff-Sword Home Place has played an important role in Harris County while helping to preserve the rich agricultural history of Texas, and it is indeed fitting that Kay Beckendorff Sword and the members of her family be recognized for their outstanding stewardship; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commemorate the induction of the Beckendorff-Sword Home Place into the Texas Department of Agriculture Family Land Heritage Program and extend to all those associated with the farm sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Kay Beckendorff Sword as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Schofield Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 32 was adopted by the House on November 1, 2023, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House