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About the film
Sandfighter
SANDFIGHTER investigates the conflicts between economic and environmental sustainability while following one fourth-generation cotton farmer's relentless battle against the increasingly harsh climate of the Southern High Plains. With breathtaking cinematography and a vérité approach captured over two years, the film drops audiences into a vast and unforgiving frontier of unknowns, providing a fertile and deeply personal conversation about our environment, sustainability, and the impacts of consumerism.
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JOIN THE FIGHT Bios
CLAY LEWIS
A fourth-generation cotton farmer operating four thousand acres alongside his father in Brownfield, Texas. To Clay, the world of agriculture is a relentless fight to control the natural chaos of the environment. Deep roots in the Southern High Plains condition farmers like Clay to withstand brutal and often demoralizing climactic events that threaten their livelihood. Now, raising two children with his wife, Katie, the stakes of succeeding have never been higher. As water resources diminish, the uncertainty that shrouds the High Plains looms closer than ever before. Over the course of two seasons, Clay provides unique insights that paint a complicated picture of the future of Texas’ multi-billion dollar cotton industry.
KATIE LEWIS, Ph.D.
A national leader in soil research, Dr. Lewis has devoted her life to researching sustainable conservation practices. Katie is the Associate Professor of Soil Chemistry and Fertility for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in Lubbock, TX. Her husband, a fourth-generation cotton farmer, and two young children fuel her commitment to enhancing the agricultural sustainability of the Southern High Plains and conserving our soil and water resources. Dr. Lewis’ research leads the way for agricultural innovation in semi-arid regions around the world.
JOSEPH BURKE, Ph.D.
Joseph A. Burke, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of cropping system agronomy and weed science with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension in Lubbock, TX. His research focuses on understanding the role of sustainability and how it can be optimized for semi-arid agricultural production in Texas. Dr. Burke is investigating climate-resilient cropping systems, soil and water conservation, and sustainable crop protection.
JAMES MAHAN, Ph.D.
A former research plant physiologist with the UDSA. Dr. Mahan’s research focuses on the relationship between the thermal dependence of metabolism and the plant’s environment. Using his thirty-plus-year career in research, Mahan observes the success and failure of scientists who have dedicated their lives to saving the Ogallala aquifer.
RON ROBERTS
Ron Roberts is a seasoned broadcaster and a veteran of Tornado Alley. With a career that spans over 30 years in radio and television, Roberts addresses Climate Change impacts on West Texas with an emphasis on water conservation, improved landscape techniques, and possible climate challenges in the future.
KEN ROSS
Ross is the manager of Needmore Gin in Meadow, Texas, and former President of the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association. He is a third-generation ginner who learned the business from his father and grandfather and started working at this gin over 40 years ago.
JAYME LOZANO CARVER
Jayme is The Texas Tribune’s first Lubbock-based reporter, covering the South Plains and Panhandle. She previously worked for Texas Tech Public Media, Lubbock’s NPR station, where she spearheaded “Rural Healthcare: The Other Texas Drought,” a series for PBS’ “Frontline” on rural hospital closures in Texas. She also covered a broad range of topics for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, including climate change, agriculture, entertainment, and health care.
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Credits
Directed by Garrett Forbes
Produced by Christopher Cobos, Joseph Bowman, Garrett Forbes