Tour of Hurricane Ike Shelter

On Friday, just before Hurricane Ike made landfall along the Texas coast, I traveled to East Texas and spoke with Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass and Smith County Judge Joel Baker. Together we visited St. Louis Baptist Church in Tyler, which is being utilized as a hurricane shelter. I also visited the American Red Cross sign-in headquarters, a hurricane shelter located at Dogwood Hills East Baptist Church, and the Emergency Operations Center in Anderson County with Sheriff Greg Taylor. We spoke with many citizens who had to evacuate, but who did so with strong resolve and positive outlooks. They expressed deep appreciation for the many volunteers who are working around the clock to provide for them in their time of need.

Texans staying in shelters like the ones in Tyler and Palestine, as well as others across our great state are in good hands. In fact, the Texas Department of Agriculture has been asked to deliver food commodities such as green beans, carrots, potatoes, various fruits and ground beef to the shelters this weekend.

This is a critical time for many, and is a great opportunity for Texans to help other Texans. I encourage you to donate to your local food banks. They need personal hygiene products, canned goods and single snack items like granola bars. You can also donate money to your local food bank.

I hope all Texans in the path of Hurricane Ike were able to get to a safe shelter. But the road to recovery will continue after the storm passes. We must continue to volunteer to help our fellow Texans pick up the pieces from the devastation this storm could bring.

Hurricane Ike Preparations, Remembering 9/11

Today I visited the State Emergency Operations Center in Austin as Texas prepares for Hurricane Ike to make landfall. Thousands of volunteers, state, federal and local employees along with many private businesses working around the clock to keep Texans safe from the storm. I urge all Texans to heed the warnings of local officials, as meteorologists say Ike’s storm surge could cause massive flooding and power outages in cities along our coastline.

The Texas Department of Agriculture is strategically placing food supplies around the state to help feed evacuees at shelters. It makes me proud to see the large numbers of volunteers who stand willing to help other Texans in their time of need. It’s because of their selflessness that others are guided through such a difficult time.

As we prepare for the worst, and hope for the best, we cannot forget the heroes who lost their lives on this very day seven years ago. I encourage all Texans to take time today to reflect on the great loss our country felt on 9/11, but to also remember the resiliency and fortitude embedded in the character of Americans that allows us to overcome such tragedies. We honor the men and women of the United States armed forces who have stepped up to keep America safe while fighting for the basic freedoms and democracy.

Obesity Awareness Week

As Texas children return to the classroom, we are reminded of our responsibility to encourage academic excellence, physical fitness and proper nutrition. A healthy mind and healthy body can lead to a lifetime of rich rewards. Today's nutritious school-served meals can play a part in feeding both.

The Texas Department of Agriculture and schools around our great state are working together to promote healthy eating habits. Parents and grandparents should really take the time to check out the school cafeteria. In recent years the menus have vastly improved; today, school-served meals are convenient, more affordable than other options and well balanced to provide daily servings of fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains and protein. With childhood obesity a nationwide epidemic, these initiatives provide a much-needed defense against a serious health crisis.

To read more on what TDA is doing to make sure Texas school meals are healthy, read my column here.

GO TEXAN Parsley Shrimp

I hope you have enjoyed Chef Michael Flores’ deliciously Texan recipes as much as I have over the last few days. But the Texas shrimp featured in his delicious recipes are just a small taste of what to expect from the first-ever GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up. From smoked BBQ to fresh salads, you won’t be disappointed on October 1 when you:

GO OUT, GO EAT, GO TEXAN.

Enjoy Michael’s simple yet tasty recipe for Parsley’d Shrimp here:

GO TEXAN Smoked Shrimp

Did you know that most of Texas' Gulf Coast Shrimp are harvested between April and November? As Chef Michael Flores explains in his recipe for Smoked Shrimp, technology has made Texas shrimp available year-round:

GO TEXAN Cast Iron Skillet Shrimp

As I mentioned earlier this week, October 1 is the first-ever statewide GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up. One of the many great foods that will be featured that night at numerous participating restaurants across the state is Texas Gulf Coast Shrimp.

If you'd like a new recipe to add to your cookbook, watch this video of Chef Michael Flores preparing Cast Iron Skillet Shrimp.

Go Out. Go Eat. GO TEXAN

On October 1, I invite you to participate in the first ever GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up, which celebrates Texas restaurants, foods and wines.

Fresh foods grown right here in the Lone Star State will be featured on the menus of participating GO TEXAN restaurants. Texas wine tastings and pairings with special pricing will also be available at some restaurants as part of this special Texas dining experience.
Many restaurants have volunteered to donate a portion of the day's proceeds to a local food bank. You can see the list of restaurants by going to gotexan.org and clicking on the big restaurant dot, or by visiting GoTexanRestaurantRoundUp.com.

The event is still a few weeks away, but now is a great time to spread the word to family and friends; be sure to tell them: GO out, GO eat, GO TEXAN.

In the meantime, proud GO TEXAN chef Michael Flores, has cooked up some deliciously Texan meals. As an appetizer for the biggest day in Texas dining, we will be sharing some more recipes from Chef Flores over the weeks leading up to our big dine-out event.

Today, you can watch Chef Flores make his Curry Coconut Shrimp:

Texans Feeding Texans Meal Delivery Program

Today I encourage home-delivered meal providers and non-profit organizations to apply for funding from the Texas Department of Agriculture's Texans Feeding Texans: Home-Delivered Meal Grant Program. The postmark deadline for grant applications is Nov. 1, 2008.

Home-delivered meal agencies provide life-sustaining meals daily to more than 100,000 homebound elderly and special needs Texans. In January, TDA awarded these agencies a total of $9.5 million through the grant program.

In Texas alone, seniors age 60 and older are expected to number about 8.1 million by 2040, which is a 193 percent increase from 2000. As this population grows, we can expect to see an ever-increasing need for services from home-delivered meal providers.

The Texans Feeding Texans: Home-Delivered Meal Grant Program will distribute $10 million to approved applicants by Feb. 1 of 2009. To be eligible for funding, an organization must be a non-profit organization or governmental agency that provided home-delivered meals in the past year. The entity also must receive a grant of 25 cents or less per senior resident from the county in which it delivers meals.

We need to do everything in our power to make sure our seniors and Texans with special needs never go hungry. The grant program will allow agencies and organizations to stretch their limited resources in order to put healthy, nutritious food on the tables of our homebound Texans.

Additional information about the grant program, the application process and program rules are on TDA's Web site at http://www.tda.state.tx.us/ under "Grants/Funding." Call (512) 463-6908 for more information.

CDC/FDA say salmonella outbreak is over

Today the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak has ended, citing the number of new cases reported has significantly dropped since July.

To date this salmonella strain has sickened 1,442, people and hospitalized 286, in more than 40 states.

With evidence suggesting the outbreak is over, FDA lifted its advice to consumers to avoid eating Mexican-grown jalapenos, which they cited as the major source for the illnesses, and Serrano peppers. FDA also stated they still believe the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak was initially connected with tomatoes, calling this outbreak one associated with “multiple raw produce.”

In addition, the CDC released a summary of this outbreak and their findings in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

FDA officials said they have learned a lot from this outbreak and believe their Food Protection Plan provides direction on how to enhance prevention and improve response to future outbreaks.

Although the Texas Department of Agriculture does not have a regulatory role in managing food-borne illnesses, it is critical Texas and the federal government work together to try to minimize such outbreaks. I look forward to working with the agriculture industry and regulators to a develop an efficient plan of action.

Texas Farmers and Ranchers Enter the Blogosphere

A recent article in the Dallas Morning News by Jessica Sidman profiled several Texas farmers and ranchers who have entered the blogosphere. Their blog entries range from the evolving diets of cattle to the addition of two new poodles at one farm.

As a relatively new member to the blogosphere myself, I think it’s great that Texas farmers and ranchers are also sharing their thoughts, stories and experiences with the world.

Here are some links to the farmers’ blogs featured in the article:

http://www.lavenderchick.blogspot.com/

http://sugarhillfarms.wordpress.com/