On Feb. 11 U.S. Representative Mike Conaway and former congressman Larry Combest appeared at Tarleton State University in the Barry B. Thompson Student Center ballrooms to answer questions in a public setting. The public was encouraged to attend. In an email sent out by the President’s Office they said “the purpose of the event is to provide updates on current agricultural issues and legislation, as well as take questions from the public.”

Conaway is from the 11^th Congressional District, which covers 36 counties in Texas, including Odessa, Midland, and San Angelo. He is the chairman for the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. He is also in the subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry.

Combest was the chairman for the House Agriculture Committee from 1999 to 2003. He was also in the House of Representatives from 1985 to 2003.

Questions were written down on a piece of paper, given to volunteers who in turn gave them to the announcer who read the questions out loud to the Representative and Congressman.

One question asked was, “Estimates suggests that food fiber and feed production will have to increase 50 percent by 2050 on existing or less land. Do you have a sense of how we can do that and how the government will try that?” Conaway replied, “I’m always nervous about it. We’re going to have to grow genetically modified, genetically engineered and genetically altered food and fiber sources. We’re going to have to accept those and embrace those technologies on a go forward basis, because you can’t feed the world without changing the amount of acres that are in cultivation. As the research goes on, we’re going to have to embrace genetically modifying/engineering seed and others to more efficient.”

Questions concluded at 11:15 that morning.