Rural communities are rich with natural resources and human know-how. However, many small Texas towns grapple with affording basic services and struggle to keep young people. Agricultural economics continue to strain. The future increasingly feels digital and urban. This doesn’t have to be the case.

Join The Texas Tribune, along with rural leaders and innovators from across the state and nation, Nov. 18–19 for a two-day symposium focused on how rural communities can thrive economically, deliver essential services and build a future worth staying for.

The full event schedule includes:

● Making Agriculture Work with Russell Boening, president, Texas Farm Bureau; Jamie Cummings, HOPE for Small Farm Sustainability; and Josh Winegarner, director of government relations, Texas Cattle Feeders Association. Moderated by Tribune RGV reporter Berenice Garcia.
● Technology: The Good, The Bad and the AI with Texas farmer Cari Beauchamp; Collin Graff, owner and producer, Graff Grown; Tillery Timmons-Sims, director of operations, SARA Conservation; and Conner Watts, co-owner and producer, DCW Farms & Livestock. Moderated by Tribune interim regions editor Giselle Rodriguez Greenwood.
● Families First with Cynthia Pearson, President and CEO, Day Nursery of Abilene; Maximiliano Rombado, director of early learning policy, Texans Care for Children; and Connie Tyne, executive director, Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health. Moderated by Tribune East Texas reporter Jess Huff.
● From Small Towns to Planned Communities with Randy Burks, director of economic development, Hamlin; Eugene Escobar, mayor, Princeton; Stewart McGregor, executive director, Kaufman Economic Development Corporation; and Lori Olson, executive director, Texas Land Trust Council. Moderated by Tribune Houston-based regional reporter Stephen Simpson.
● Water and Energy with Benton Allen, Bell Professor of Engineering, West Texas A&M University; Jordan Robison, CEO of Natura Resources; and Lara Zent, director, Rural Texas Water Association. Moderated by Tribune Permian Basin reporter Carlos Nogueras Ramos.

Check in at Abilene Christian University starts at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, and the first panels begin at 3:45 p.m. The symposium concludes Thursday, Nov. 19, at 4 p.m.