Rural Texas Agriculture Keeps the Lone Star State Prosperous

I met with a talented group of House and Senate members called the Rural Caucus this week, who are dedicated to promoting and preserving the heritage of this great state by ensuring policy initiatives that allow for rural areas to continue to grow and prosper.

The meeting served as a reminder that agriculture doesn’t stop at the borders of rural Texas. Whether you live in a rural, suburban or urban part of the Lone Star State, we all depend on the production of our state’s farmers and ranchers for the food we eat and the clothes we wear. The potential for bioenergy also grows every day in the agriculture industry as new technology is developed and economically implemented.

As Texas’ population grows, rural Texas still packs quite a punch. In fact, the population of rural Texas is greater than the populations of Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming and the District of Columbia combined! And if you haven’t visited rural Texas in a while, check out our GO TEXAN Rural Community Program for a listing of all the great places to see.

Texas Farmers and Ranchers Thankful for Rain

Well, I started my day out thanking the good Lord for the much-needed rain that is being spread around Texas and with a plea to let it continue. I am thankful to see the weather maps with green and yellow shades indicating storm cells moving around our state. We all know it is desperately needed as all 254 counties in Texas are experiencing some form of drought.

In fact, weather experts all agree that the area stretching from central Texas to the Gulf is the single driest part of the United States. Farmers in this area are deciding whether they will even be able to plant this season. Cattlemen are taking their stock to auction at record numbers because of short pasture conditions. I'm told the current drought conditions we are experiencing only come along once or maybe twice in a 100-year cycle.

We’d like to remind producers to take advantage of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Hay Hotline at 1-877-429-1998. This is a great resource for those who have extra hay to sell or a pasture to lease, and for those who need hay. We also encourage producers to take advantage of our Disaster Resource Information Packet (DRIP), which provides pertinent contact information for state, federal and private agricultural disaster assistance programs. The DRIP packet is available on our Web site at www.TexasAgriculture.gov.

Even with this rain being spread across our dry and thirsty land, forecasters say it will be a tough spring. Lord, thank you for this rain today and please send us some more – our state's farmers and ranchers are in real need.

Agriculture: The Foundation of Life for all

As we think about the role agriculture plays in our state and nation, we should keep in mind agriculture is not just a way of life for farmers and ranchers, it is the foundation of life for all.

Texas and American farmers and ranchers produce the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supply in the world. Want proof?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, citizens in the United States on average only spend 7 percent of their consumer dollar on food. This compares to the United Kingdom at 9 percent, Mexico at 24 percent, India at 32 percent and China at 35 percent. Be sure to let your federal officials know this as they contemplate making changes to the safety net for American farmers and ranchers that could result in catastrophic changes to our affordable food supply.

Texas Land May be a Good Investment

Bad news about plummeting home values and foreclosures dominate the headlines, but the forecast is not so bleak for Texas landowners.

According to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center, 2008 statistics indicate an overall positive shift in Texas real estate values. From 2007-2008, the price of Texas agricultural lands increased an average of 10.5 percent. And, as sales data for the first quarter of 2009 trickles in and projections are made for the rest of the year, trends indicate buyers are active in the market and banks are lending.

Real estate is an appealing investment during a bear market, and while the Texas real estate economy is in a correction phase and market participants need to keep abreast of the latest information, data indicates buyers are looking for quality property. This is what they can find in the Lone Star State--our pledge to private property owners’ rights and economic development make Texas a great place to invest.

You can read more about a variety of issues affecting property owners and the real estate market on the Real Estate Center's Web site.

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.

Gov. Perry requests emergency drought declaration for all Texas counties

I’d like to personally thank Governor Perry for making an official request to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to approve an emergency drought designation for all 254 counties. If approved by USDA, this federal declaration will allow farmers and ranchers access to emergency loans and disaster relief.

Meteorologists are saying this drought Texas is experiencing right now is one that only happens once or twice every century. This, coupled with an economic crisis that’s lowered agricultural values, but increased production costs, is presenting a significant challenge for Texas farmers and ranchers, and we must do what we can to help those who work diligently to provide us with the food on our tables and the clothes on our backs.

In the meantime, I’d like to encourage Texas producers in need of hay to utilize the TDA Hay Hotline to find sellers.

Click HERE to read Gov. Perry’s official request.

Operation New Fences

Six months ago, Hurricane Ike hit rural Southeast Texas devastating communities and agricultural lands. Today, Texans have a chance to help farmers and ranchers rebuild the homes, ranches and lives devastated by the storm.

You can lend a hand to your fellow Texans by donating supplies or volunteering your time through our latest relief effort: "Operation New Fences." Ranchers lost an estimated 4,800 cows and 5,600 calves in the storm surge of Hurricane Ike. Those cattle can’t be replaced until new fences are built.

I urge you to help these hard-working Texans in their time of need. Click HERE if you need help, or if you would like to assist in rebuilding the 1,700 miles of destroyed fence line in Chambers, Galveston, Liberty, Orange and Jefferson counties.

I would like to thank Texas AgriLife Extension and the Fellowship of Christian Farmers International for helping make this effort possible.

Read some of my past blog posts on Hurricane Ike:

Dec. 17, 2008- Funds Available for Texas Farmers and Ranchers Recovering from Hurricane Ike

Dec.9, 2008- Documentary Highlights Texan Teamwork after Hurricane Ike

Oct 27, 2008- Testimony Before Senate Committees on Hurricane Ike

Sept. 23, 2008- Aerial Tour With Houston Astros Player Carlos Lee

Sept. 22, 2008- Slideshow From Aerial Tour of Hurricane Ike

Sept. 20, 2008- Texans Answer the Call for Assistance

Sept. 17, 2008-Aerial Tour of Areas Devastated by Hurricane Ike

Sept. 16, 2008- Update on Hurricane Ike Help for Texas Farmers and Ranchers

Sept. 15, 2008- Texans Need Your Help After Hurricane Ike Strands Livestock

Reminding Parents and Kids to Start the Day with School Breakfast

Yolanda Reyes - Vice Principal, Janice Weston - Principal,Trina Linder - Cafeteria Manager, Yvonne Seiders - Asst. Director of Food Services

It’s National School Breakfast Week, and today I continued my campaign to remind children all across the great state of Texas about the importance of starting their day with a healthy, nutritious breakfast and the role of our dedicated farmers and ranchers.

I talked with Joe Bickett of FOX 7 News live from Lucy Reed Pre-Kindergarten School to showcase the quality meals that are available all across Texas. Every day in our state, over one million students participate in the national School Breakfast Program. But, we can do more to win the war on child obesity.

Parents and students must always remember that good grades start with good nutrition

You can watch my interview here:

Power Up with School Breakfast Public Service Announcement

As Texas Agriculture Commissioner, I have made it my focus to encourage Texas children to adopt the 3 E’s of Healthy Living – Education, Exercise and Eating Right. This simple concept will not only help children feel better and live longer, but will also assist us in battling a growing childhood obesity problem in our state.


I recently worked with C.D. Fulkes Middle School students in Round Rock to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) that talks about the advantages of eating a healthy breakfast at school. The PSA, which is currently running on TV stations statewide, is really fun and features animated characters, Mr. Breakfast and YoGurl. You can watch the PSA here.

A Conversation on Texan Ingenuity

I had a great conversation with Dr. Randy Hickle of Grace Clinic in Lubbock.
Dr. Hickle is working on an innovative program to give medical patients new media access to educational information about their specific diseases. Once again, Texan ingenuity leads the way.

Click here to listen to our brief discussion.