![\"Talk](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789667302_129_attachment-512.jpg\")
<\/p>\nYou don’t have to drive very far outside Lubbock to be reminded just how important agriculture is around here.<\/p>\n
Cotton fields, cattle, tractors and the occasional farm truck that\u00a0lumbers by.<\/p>\n
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That West Texas agricultural industry will take center stage when the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce<\/a> holds its annual Harvest Luncheon<\/a> on Thursday, October 15th, featuring a speaker with some pretty deep South Plains roots.<\/p>\n The luncheon, presented by FiberMax-BASF<\/a>, will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Learning Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n This year’s featured speaker is Tom Sell, a fifth-generation West Texan, Texas Tech graduate, small business owner and longtime advocate for agriculture.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0Power Slap Is Bringing Its First Texas Event to Lubbock<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAgriculture is the backbone of this community,\u201d FiberMax-BASF’s Kerry King said in announcing the event, adding that gatherings like the Harvest Luncheon are important for both education and fellowship.<\/p>\n It’s difficult to argue with that first part. Agriculture isn’t simply something that happens around Lubbock. It’s a huge part of what built this region and continues to drive our economy.<\/p>\n From Texas Tech to Washington and Back to Lubbock<\/p>\n Sell earned both a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness and a law degree from Texas Tech University before beginning a career focused heavily on agricultural policy.<\/p>\n He went to work for former Congressman Larry Combest, who represented Texas’ 19th Congressional District<\/a> and chaired the U.S. House Agriculture Committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the Chamber, Sell played a role in major agricultural legislation during his time in Washington, including the 2002 Farm Bill<\/a> and Crop Insurance Reform Act of 2000<\/a>.<\/p>\n He eventually returned home to Lubbock and co-founded a business with Combest advocating for agricultural producers and rural communities across the southern High Plains and beyond.<\/p>\n Talking About the Future of West Texas Agriculture<\/p>\n Sell is expected to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture and rural communities, drawing on everything from his Washington experience to his work with producers here in West Texas.<\/p>\n There’s also a strong Texas Tech connection beyond his degrees. Sell and his wife, Kyla, regularly mentor students through Tech’s Davis College of Agriculture<\/a>.<\/p>\n In other words, this isn’t somebody flying into Lubbock to explain West Texas agriculture to West Texans. He’s spent much of his life and career right in the middle of it.<\/p>\n The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Harvest Luncheon happens Thursday, October 15th, from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Learning Center.<\/p>\n Individual tickets are $65 for Chamber members and $85 for future members. Tables for eight are available for $500, and sponsorship opportunities are also available.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0Grab a Dutch Bros Drink in Lubbock and Help Local Kids in Foster Care<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Lubbock](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/attachment-harvest-2026-graphic-2.png\")
Lubbock Chamber of CommerceLubbock Chamber of CommerceTom Sell Will Headline This Year’s Harvest Luncheon<\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/photo-1633873972250-e69cd8b5e31c.jpeg\")
Photo by Sze Yin Chan<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a>a field full of cotton plants covered in snowHow to Attend the Harvest Luncheon<\/p>\n