Protecting the Agricultural Products of Texas and the U.S.

Earlier this week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel led me on a tour of George Bush Intercontinental Airport. These dedicated men and women take great pride in protecting the economic engine of our state and country: agriculture.

Through the combined use of science, technology and law enforcement skills, we have a tremendous safety net to keep out unwanted pests and diseases that can otherwise cripple Texas agriculture, which annually makes an economic impact of over $100 billion to our state’s economy.

Each year, millions of travelers come to the U.S. through our international ports in Texas alone. It is comforting to know our partners at CBP are defending American agriculture and protecting the interests of Texas farmers and ranchers.

While the Texas Department of Agriculture works diligently at roadside inspection stations to prevent pests and diseases from spreading to agricultural products within the state, all Texans should be proud of our federal partners who are also on the frontlines joining the efforts of our dedicated inspectors.

Governor Perry appoints the Commission for Disaster Recovery and Renewal

I appreciate Governor Perry appointing the Commission for Disaster Recovery and Renewal and look forward to continuing to assist the Texas agriculture community, as well as other victims, of hurricanes and natural disasters. Texans have proven time and again they can face adversity and overcome. I am confident this committee will develop a plan that will ensure timely and appropriate assistance for Texans who have suffered through major disasters.

Having previously served as chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security, I can assure all Texans our system of response and recovery is fast acting and designed to be receptive to the needs of its citizens.

Testimony before Senate Committees on Hurricane Ike

Today, I testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Transportation on Texas' response to Hurricane Ike. I appreciated the Senators giving me the opportunity to talk about this important issue.

I began my testimony by recognizing the great accomplishments and teamwork of government, industry and citizens during the storm. Losing one life is one too many; however, and if it was not for the incredible efforts by Texans, the loss of human life could have been substantially higher. Great work and preparation saved lives.

The state's emergency response system was managed professionally and comprehensively. For the most part, the State Operation Center's response was reliable and quick. Pre-positioning of fuel, food, personnel and resources was critical and from my vantage point the agriculture community came forth with a cohesive response, donating significant amounts of time and resources to help fellow Texans in need.

With all this said, we must prepare for future disasters and learn from our mistakes. TDA, the Texas Animal Health Commission, AgriLife Extension, and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association have convened an initial post review meeting and have scheduled follow-up meetings to address some issues initiated an after-action review process and will improve upon the response based upon our lessons-learned.

The agriculture industry's response needs stronger coordination among agriculture-related agencies. Pre-planned collaboration is lacking for agriculture needs beyond animal health. Key entities need to be assigned responsibilities and trained; plus it is crucial to reduce confusion regarding the process for accessing FEMA assistance. The state needs to consider forming an Animal Incident Management Team to address these issues.

Texans should be proud of the response after this deadly storm hit, but as a state we must continue to work hard so we are even more prepared for future hurricanes and other disasters.