Garza Soil and Water Conservation District
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Brown awarded Conservation Rancher of the Year
Harold Pharis Brown, Jr. receives the Conservation Rancher of the Year award from the Garza Soil and Water Conservation District. From left, David Norman, Vice Chairman; Jana Middleton, Secretary/Treasurer; Lady and Bo Brown; Drew Kirkpatrick, Chairman; Helen Saldana, District Secretary; and Danny Robertson, member.
Harold Pharis Brown, Jr., commonly known as Bo, has been awarded the Conservation Rancher of the Year from the Garza Soil and Water Conservation District.
Brown is a third-generation farmer and rancher who has been involved in agriculture since childhood. As a child, Bo would go with his father and grandfather to the family farm near Hermleigh, Texas, where they ran a small cow-calf operation. Additionally, Bo has been a Garza Soil and Water Conservation District Cooperator for over 17 years.
Brown was born in Snyder, Texas, in 1940. He graduated from Snyder High School in 1959 and then attended Tarleton State University, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas School of Law. Brown later went on to serve in the United States Army from 1966 – 1968, separating at the rank of captain.
Brown married Lady Falls, also from Snyder. Together they had daughter Susannah, who married Clay Mercer and is the mother to two, Alexandra Kathleen and Brown Mercer.
After moving to Lubbock, Texas, Brown began practicing law at the Lubbock County Attorney’s office. Two years later, he joined Evans, Pharr, Trout and Jones, which later became Jones, Flygare, Brown and Wharton. He served as a district aid for Congressman George Mahon, as Congressman Mahon completed his final term in office.
While practicing law, Brown continued his interest in farming and ranching by raising cotton and peanuts in Gaines County. In 1987, he became a partner in Coyote Feed yard in Bailey County. In addition to the feed yard, he bought Tobosa Ranch, which had appreciable irrigated farmland. After the ranch acquisition, the property was improved by building fences, drilling water wells, installing pipelines and water troughs.
In 2000, he and Lady bought the VII – M Ranch east of Post, Texas, on which they operate a cow-calf operation. With the assistance of Glen Killough, NRCS, District Conservation for Garza County, he signed up for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, (EQIP), to leverage financial assistance to improve pasture management and conservation practices. Over 3,000 acres of mesquite were sprayed, including all or part of seven pastures in Garza County. In addition to spraying, he built one new dirt tank, repaired numerous old dirt tanks, cleaned out five other tanks, drilled water wells that utilize solar pumps along with installing 12,000 feet of pipeline, nine troughs and two water storage tanks.
Brown re-enrolled 158 acres of erosion sensitive land on this ranch into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
Currently he and Lady also operate a cow-calf operation on their Tobosa Ranch in Bailey County, where they raise corn and triticale for grazing and silage.
Over the years, Brown served on numerous governing boards including the Ranching Heritage Center, of which he was president and chairman of the board, the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, chairman of the original Llano Estacado Planning group for 15 years and chairman of the City of Lubbock Water Advisory Commission for six years.
The Garza Soil and Water Conservation District Directors are proud to present this award to an outstanding conservationist and true steward of our soil, water, wildlife and other natural resources, Harold “Bo” Brown, said Glen Killough.
