The Rio Grande Valley's economy is diversifying more all the time, but the staple industry is still agriculture. Over a century and a half, Valley farms and ranches have survived floods, droughts, hurricanes and freezes, only to emerge stronger and more competitive.

The Valley's four-county area covers 2,716,160 acres, or 4,244 square miles, and is not a valley at all but a delta, gently sloping down to the Rio Grande, whose rising and falling waters before the damming of the river left soil rich and fertile.

The subtropical climate provides a year-round growing season marked by mild winters, warm and humid evenings and adequate rainfall to sustain a variety of crops from traditional to exotic. Valley farms and ranches generally produce cash receipts averaging more than $500 million annually, but the financial impact of agriculture upon the Valley, the state and the nation is much greater.

Traditional Crops

The Rio Grande Valley is globally known for more than 40 crops; primarily cotton, citrus, grain sorghum, sugar cane and melons.

Vegetables formed the first great agricultural bonanza, when South Texas was originally cleared by farmers from the Midwest. They were attracted by the subtropical climate and long growing season, allowing them to produce two crops in one year on the same land.

While cotton was grown in the Valley in the 1890s, it did not reach commercial production levels until the 1920s. Today cotton is one of the most visible crops, as it often constitutes the largest percentage of agricultural acreage devoted to one crop.

Some of the major vegetable and melon crops grown in the Rio Grande Valley include cabbage, onions, carrots, peppers, broccoli, cantaloupes and honeydew melons. These have a supporting cast including practically every item found in the grocery store's produce section.

The citrus industry provides a powerful cash crop as well as scenic fields of orange, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon and lime trees and hybrids that keep the taste buds guessing. For example, the "tangelo" is a cross between a tangerine and an orange. Valley grapefruit has the distinction of being redder, sweeter and juicer than those grown in other parts of the country. Texas oranges are also noted for their juiciness and low acid content. Because of the exceptional quality, Valley-grown citrus has gained a prominent share of the national market. It is a unified industry that has survived several major freezes since 1949. Several years ago motorists looked off of overpasses onto rows of shrivelled, brown victims of the 1989 freeze. However, citrus is back in full force, evidenced by the number of roadside vendors. Citrus growers remain optimistic and proud of their product, while constantly looking for better ways to protect the fruit from rare but devastating sub-freezing temperatures that can take five years from which to recover.

A Little on the Wild Side

While fields of citrus, cotton, vegetables and melons may be a Valley trademark, some farmers are taking advantage of wonderful weather and wide open spaces in an effort to preserve life and improve it.

Several nurseries and farms across South Texas have begun cultivating palm trees for landscaping and preservation projects. The palm industry insures the palm will remain the Valley's signature, and Valley-grown palm trees are shipped throughout the nation and abroad.

From Expressway 83 near Harlingen, you may glimpse sprawling fields of aloe vera plants. This medicinal succulent thrives in the warm semi-arid climate and, once processed, is shipped out across the nation in various forms, commonly ending up in skin care products.

The Valley's soil not only supports a variety of crops but also a stunning array of livestock. The South Texas beef industry still holds a valuable share of the national market. But in recent years, several Valley ranchers have taken on more than just cattle. If you drive some of the Valley's back roads, you're more than likely to see exotic game, especially game from Africa, which has a similar climate to South Texas. Ranchers breed ostrich and emu for their meat, leather and feathers. Axis deer, antelope, wildebeest, bison, even endangered black rhinos are bred, among other exotic browsers from India and Africa, for conservation and controlled hunts, depending on the species.

Another untraditional "crop" is shrimp. The Arroyo Colorado supplies water for several shrimp farms in that area. Huge ponds are stocked with shrimp, and when harvest time comes, workers drain the ponds and vacuum the shrimp onto ice.

Bigger and Better

The Texas Agricultural Research and Extension Center, located in Weslaco, provides assistance to thousands of Valley farmers and ranchers, in addition to finding more efficient ways to grow and harvest existing crops. The center is also constantly seeking safe, effective methods of pest control.

The center's scientists have developed a tasty, red-fleshed grapefruit known as "Sweet Texas Red Grapefruit," which always brings a premium price. They study the marketability of Texas citrus, and have developed the first commercially used spinach hybrids and improved tomato varieties that are still grown worldwide.

Other Texas scientists have worked with Valley farmers on improving vegetables, but the one that always steals the show is the Texas 1015 super sweet onion. Developed specifically for Valley growing conditions by Dr. Leonard Pike of Texas A&M University, the 1015 has taken top honors as a gourmet onion. Its popularity comes from two factors: it is sweet enough to be eaten raw, and it does not trigger tears when cut open.

While farmers who grow a wide variety of crops are more scarce now than specialists, and agribusiness increasingly supplants the "family farm," the tremendous success of the 1015 onion, the Texas red grapefruit and the almost limitless list of crops and livestock sustained by Valley soil has given South Texas the deserved reputation of a grower's paradise.