As Texas Agriculture Commissioner, I’ve always believed that the heart of our great state beats in its fields, ranches, and rural communities. For over a decade, since I first took office in 2015, I’ve fought tooth and nail to protect and promote Texas agriculture, the backbone of our economy, feeding not just our families but the world.
In these challenging times, with inflation reduced but still biting, supply chains strained, and an international trade reset underway, it’s worth reflecting on what we’ve achieved together. Texas leads the nation in farms and ranches, and under my watch, we’ve made sure it stays that way, turning challenges into triumphs that benefit every Texan.
When I stepped into the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), I inherited an $18 million deficit and a bloated bureaucracy. Within months, we balanced the books, slashed executive staff from 14 to 9, and restructured operations to cut inspectors’ annual driving by 1.5 million miles, saving taxpayers millions without sacrificing service. We cleared a three-year backlog in organic certifications in just 90 days, empowering our farmers to meet growing demand for clean, Texas-grown products.
And we didn’t stop there: we ramped up inspections dramatically, boosting fuel pump checks from every eight years to every year and increasing pesticide audits by 334%. These moves protected consumers, ensured fair play at the pump and scale, and made TDA one of the most efficient agencies in state government, praised during our sunset review as one of the best-run departments in Austin.
Disasters don’t wait for permission, and neither do we. In 2017, when wildfires ravaged West Texas and Hurricane Harvey flooded our coasts, I mobilized the State of Texas Agricultural Relief (STAR) Fund, raising over $731,000 to deliver hay, fencing, and feed to devastated ranchers without using taxpayer dollars. We revitalized the Hay Hotline, connecting producers in need with surplus supplies statewide. Fast-forward to 2024, when we faced the largest agricultural disaster in Texas history, the Panhandle wildfires. My team led relief efforts, raising $1.3 million in private donations for the STAR Fund and coordinating aid that saved livelihoods.
During COVID-19, I declared agriculture business essential, keeping our farms and food chains running while the world shut down. We expedited 51.7 million pounds of USDA food to area food banks, launched Disaster Household Distribution, and delivered millions of meals to rural kids through Meals to You. We even secured over $40 million for rural hospitals and distributed $1.36 billion in Pandemic-EBT benefits to 3 million children. Texas agriculture didn’t just survive the pandemic. It thrived, proving our resilience.
Innovation has been my north star. In 2020, I launched Texas’s industrial hemp program, licensing thousands of producers and processors and opening a new frontier for our farmers amid federal legalization. We’ve certified the first organic beef slaughter operation and added hemp and hybrid canola to our seed certifications.
To combat pests, we redesigned fever tick spray boxes, eliminating livestock deaths, and established rules for feral hog toxicants after rigorous studies. Our Boll Weevil Eradication program protects 7 million acres of cotton, and we’ve destroyed over 8,000 infected citrus trees to fight citrus canker disease.
Water is life in Texas, so I created the TDA Office of Water Policy and issued an executive order allowing farmers to use water from the Rio Grande that otherwise would have flowed into the Gulf of America, leading to international treaty amendments that secured vital resources for our growers.
On the global stage, I’ve led trade missions to every continent except Antarctica, including historic visits to China that reopened the beef market and to Israel that strengthened ties. We’ve reintroduced Texas sweet ruby red grapefruit to South Korea, opened Japan to our spirits, and boosted exports to China during the trade war, making Texas the only state to increase export sales.
Back home, the GO TEXAN program has exploded under my leadership: memberships at all-time highs, social media engagement up over 200%, and record-breaking sales, like $1.1 million at the State Fair Pavilion in 2024.
We’ve linked farmers and ranchers to schools through Farm Fresh Fridays and our Farm Fresh Challenge, which has resulted in Texas schools buying over $300 million annually in locally sourced food from Texas ag producers. That number is expected to continue increasing in the years to come, creating a healthy win-win for our students, producers, and schools.
But it’s not just about dollars. It’s about people. Farmer suicides are a silent crisis, so I established the AgriStress Helpline, with over 250 cases helping to save farmers’ lives. During COVID, I awarded $1 million or more to each of 119 rural hospitals, helping them keep their doors open and provide vital health care services to rural Texans.
We distributed $3.5 billion in nutrition aid and provided over $73 million to communities for rural infrastructure. When the Biden Administration tried to force discriminatory farm loan programs, I sued, and won, standing up for fair treatment for all Texas and American farmers.
Looking ahead to my fourth term, I’m more committed than ever. Texas agriculture employs one in seven Texans and contributes over $186 billion to our economy. We’ve turned deficits into surpluses, crises into comebacks, and opened doors worldwide. But there’s more to do, like fighting federal overreach on endangered species, promoting vocational ag education, and ensuring our water and land stay in Texas hands. Together, we’ll keep Texas the envy of the nation: strong, independent, and bountiful. God bless Texas, and let’s keep growing.