Shawn Holladay, a fourth-generation cotton farmer from Dawson County, Texas, looks to agriculture as his sole source of income. It\u2019s not a bad argument for wanting the status quo to continue.<\/p>\n
Ask one who\u2019s been in farming for decades for his proverbial \u2018staying power\u2019 and he will likely tell you farming is a beloved legacy, he has a passion for growing crops that ensure the well-being of Americans, and throw in a bit of spiel\u00a0about how crop insurance has made it possible for him to\u00a0 survive against nature\u2019s odds.<\/p>\n
For 25 years, Holladay has used crop insurance to protect his 6,500-acre farmland in Lamesa — devoted to\u00a0cotton, some grains and peanuts — and ensure its stability in the face of prolonged drought.\u00a0 Especially vulnerable are farms like his that have been in families for three or four\u00a0generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy operation could not begin to stand the losses associated with drought and the severe weather without it,\u201d said Holladay, an industry leader and cotton grower who has won the Farm Press\/Cotton Foundation High Cotton Award for his conservation and sustainable farming practices. \u201cThe current drought would have taken out most, if not all, farms in the area where my operation is located.\u201d<\/p>\n