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Grants & Services
Trade and Business Development

The Trade and Business Development Division (TBD) supports the agency’s mission by administering programs that empower rural communities, encourage healthy lifestyles, protect consumers, and promote production agriculture.  In addition, TBD is dedicated to enhancing the economic vitality and quality of life in rural Texas through its community and economic development programs. By taking advantage of available federal funds and a statewide outreach network, this office provides rural communities the tools needed to assist the community and its businesses in prospering through the following:

  • Texas Community Development Block Grant Program (TxCDBG) assists small cities and rural communities by providing decent housing, suitable living environments, and expanded economic opportunities principally for persons of low- to moderate-income. TxCDBG funds community projects such as utility infrastructure, disaster response, and unique local economic development projects.
     
  • Marketing and International Trade promotes Texas agriculture, businesses and communities on the state, national, and international levels. Whether they’re grown, sewn, or served on a plate, the products promoted by this office find their way to more than 25 million Texans who shop, travel, and dine out in support of Texas businesses and agriculture.
     
  • Grants Office administers numerous state and federal grants, loans, and cooperative agreements available to farmers/ranchers, universities and schools, non-profits and private entities across the Lone Star State. The office also provides financial assistance to agricultural producers, especially young farmers and ranchers, to expand their production capabilities. 
     
  • State Office of Rural Health (SORH) serves the health needs of rural Texas. SORH staff work with local health care providers, county leaders, and state partners to support access to quality health care for rural Texans through a variety of programs, including information and referral, assistance with medical license applications, and grants and educational awards that are available to individual clinicians, health care institutions, and other organizations.
     
  • Texas Office of Produce Safety (TOPS) implements the Produce Safety Rule, of the Food Safety Modernization Act, which establishes the minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption. TOPS provides information and education, conducts on-farm consultations, and performs regulatory assessments on farms covered by the rule.

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