Perry’s father was a cotton farmer. After college Perry went into the Air Force and then back to cotton farming with his father until he was elected Agriculture Commissioner (he was elected to the Texas legislature while he was still farming, but in Texas that is a part time position that pays about $5,000 per year).
I was not a big fan of Perry as Governor (though I voted for him every time against the Democrat), and I would not have voted for him in the Presidential Primary (if he had lasted long enough to make it to the ballot), but he has experience in agriculture.
So why is his degree in Animal Science? Did they ranch at all?
I’m a successful farmer, come from generations of successful farmers and ranchers so I am genuinely curious since farming and ranching are actually quite different.