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Carnes' grandfather started tilling the soil about Uvalde in 1950. Allen Carnes is the principal owner and manager of Winter Garden Produce, located on the north side of Uvalde. The company ships crops throughout the nation. Carnes farms vegetables, grain, and [[cotton]]. The Carnes family owns more than 3,500 acres of farmland. Carnes himself manages more than 1,000 acres and holds majority interest in the cotton gin.<ref name=bio/> Like the state as a whole, Winter Garden Produce has struggled in recent years with drought, a matter which particularly concerns Carnes.<ref name=tobserver>{{cite web|url=http://www.texasobserver.org/j-allen-carnes-down-on-the-farm/|title=Down on the Farm The only life-long farmer in the GOP race for Texas agriculture commissioner struggles to be heard over an ideological food-fight, December 18, 2013|publisher=''The Texas Observer''|accessdate=April 25, 2014}}</ref> He is affiliated with the South Texans' Property Rights Association, the Texas Farm Bureau Federation, and the [[Fort Worth]]-based Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.<ref name=bio/>​

Carnes' grandfather started tilling the soil about Uvalde in 1950. Allen Carnes is the principal owner and manager of Winter Garden Produce, located on the north side of Uvalde. The company ships crops throughout the nation. Carnes farms vegetables, grain, and [[cotton]]. The Carnes family owns more than 3,500 acres of farmland. Carnes himself manages more than 1,000 acres and holds majority interest in the cotton gin.<ref name=bio/> Like the state as a whole, Winter Garden Produce has struggled in recent years with drought, a matter which particularly concerns Carnes.<ref name=tobserver>{{cite web|url=http://www.texasobserver.org/j-allen-carnes-down-on-the-farm/|title=Down on the Farm The only life-long farmer in the GOP race for Texas agriculture commissioner struggles to be heard over an ideological food-fight, December 18, 2013|publisher=''The Texas Observer''|accessdate=April 25, 2014}}</ref> He is affiliated with the South Texans' Property Rights Association, the Texas Farm Bureau Federation, and the [[Fort Worth]]-based Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.<ref name=bio/>​

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Carnes and his wife, the former Brooke C. Milam (born c. 1976), have three children. He is finance chairman of the First [[United Methodis]] Church in Uvalde. He is a coach for Uvalde Youth Sports.<ref name=bio/>​

Carnes and his wife, the former Brooke C. Milam (born c. 1976), have three children. He is finance chairman of the First [[United Methodist]] Church in Uvalde. He is a coach for Uvalde Youth Sports.<ref name=bio/>​

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==Race for agriculture commissioner==​

==Race for agriculture commissioner==​

Under Texas election law, one is automatically a "member" of the political party in whose primary and/or runoff election he participates. Only Democrats and Republicans in Texas hold primaries. He remains a "member" of that party for two years until the next regular primary or runoff. The only way he can "change" his party is to wait two years, then skip a primary and become an "unaffiliated" voter or to vote in the other party's primary and in effect "change" his partisan registration. He cannot switch from one party's primary and vote in the other party's immediate runoff election.<ref>Lyle C. Brown et al, ''Practicing Texas Politics'', 13th ed. (Houghton Mifflin, 2008), pp. 192–195.</ref>​

Under Texas election law, one is automatically a "member" of the political party in whose primary and/or runoff election he participates. Only Democrats and Republicans in Texas hold primaries. He remains a "member" of that party for two years until the next regular primary or runoff. The only way he can "change" his party is to wait two years, then skip a primary and become an "unaffiliated" voter or to vote in the other party's primary and in effect "change" his partisan registration. He cannot switch from one party's primary and vote in the other party's immediate runoff election.<ref>Lyle C. Brown et al, ''Practicing Texas Politics'', 13th ed. (Houghton Mifflin, 2008), pp. 192–195.</ref>​

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Carnes donated about $5,000 total to three Democrat members of the [[U.S. Congress]], including former  [[U.S. Representative]] Pete Gallego in the 23rd congressional district,a former state legislator from Alpine in Brewster County. In 2012, Gallego unseated freshman Republican Representative [[Quico Canseco]] of [[San Antonio]]. Canseco then lost to [[Will Hurd]], a [[Moderate Republican]], in a runoff election for this same seat on May 27, 2014. Carnes contributed to Democrat U.S. Representative Henry Roberto Cuellar in the 28th congressonal dustrct and donated as well to Democratic former Representative [[Ciro Rodriguez]] of San Antonio, whom Gallego defeated in the 2012 Democratic primary. In 2004, when Carnes did not vote in either party's primary, Cuellar unseated Rodriguez for the Democratic nomination after a contested recount. Rodriguez subsequently returned in 2006 to claim the neighboring 23rd District, when he unseated the Republican [[Henry Bonilla]] of San Antonio. Carnes has also contributed $5,000 to several political action committees concerned with agriculture.<ref name=carnesquestionedaboutparty/> ​

Carnes donated about $5,000 total to three Democrat members of the [[U.S. Congress]], including former  [[U.S. Representative]] Pete Gallego in the 23rd congressional district,a former state legislator from Alpine in Brewster County. In 2012, Gallego unseated freshman Republican Representative [[Francisco Canseco]] of [[San Antonio]]. Canseco then lost to [[Will Hurd]], a [[Moderate Republican]], in a runoff election for this same seat on May 27, 2014. Carnes contributed to Democrat U.S. Representative Henry Roberto Cuellar in the 28th congressonal distrct and donated as well to Democratic former Representative [[Ciro Rodriguez]] of San Antonio, whom Gallego defeated in the 2012 Democratic primary. In 2004, when Carnes did not vote in either party's primary, Cuellar unseated Rodriguez for the Democratic nomination after a contested recount. Rodriguez subsequently returned in 2006 to claim the neighboring 23rd District, when he unseated the Republican [[Henry Bonilla]] of San Antonio. Carnes has also contributed $5,000 to several political action committees concerned with agriculture.<ref name=carnesquestionedaboutparty/> ​

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In 2012, Carnes voted for the first time in a Republican primary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yct.org/with-exception-of-miller-ag-commission-race-full-of-liberals/|title=J. Allen Carnes|publisher=Young Conservatives of Texas|accessdate=April 25, 2014}}</ref>​

In 2012, Carnes voted for the first time in a Republican primary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yct.org/with-exception-of-miller-ag-commission-race-full-of-liberals/|title=J. Allen Carnes|publisher=Young Conservatives of Texas|accessdate=April 25, 2014}}</ref>​