OPINION: THANKSGIVING: FOOD FOR THOUGHT
As the holiday season rapidly approaches, we are once again reminded of the abundant blessings in our lives. However, this year’s turn of events has added a newfound sense of gratitude. I think we can agree 2020 surprised us all. COVID-19 arrived unexpectedly and life as we knew it changed in the blink of an eye. Thanks to this lousy virus, even Thanksgiving might look a little different for Texans this year. Just last week over 24,000 Texans lined up at The North Texas Foodbank ahead of the holidays.  [More]

GETTING RID OF PESTICIDES THE TDA WAY
AUSTIN- The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service joined forces Wednesday, October 21 to host a Pesticide Waste Collection and Pesticide Container Recycling event in Lubbock, Texas. This free, public event allowed agriculture producers to safely dispose of unwanted pesticides and pesticide containers.  [More]

OPINION: AGRICULTURE EDUCATION IS THE LATEST COVID-19 VICTIM
Agriculture can be a tough business. As an eighth-generation farmer and rancher, I am very familiar with the ups and downs brought on by drought, windstorms, hail, flooding, market fluctuation and government regulation. For that reason, it can often be hard to keep farming and ranching as a family business. When faced with the easier opportunities today’s world offers our kids, agriculture can be a pretty hard sell. It takes a special young man or young woman to step up and choose agriculture.  [More]

COMMISSIONER MILLER ENCOURAGES TEXANS TO APPLY FOR TDA’S EVENT GRANT FUNDING
AUSTIN- Today, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is now accepting applications for the Texas Event Grant, a program that provides funding for public events to promote Texas products and businesses. Cities, communities and organizations are encouraged to apply for Texas Event Grant funding for events in calendar year 2021. Applications must be submitted by December 15, 2020.  [More]

COMMISSIONER MILLER KICKS OFF NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK
AUSTIN- Today, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced the start of National School Lunch Week 2020, which takes place Oct. 12 to 16. National School Lunch Week recognizes the role of school nutrition in healthy lifestyles despite challenges brought on by COVID-19. The Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) theme Blast Off with a Healthy School Lunch provided school nutrition teams with easy-to-use resources they can combine with their meal-service operations. Schools placed orders for more than 1 million educational pieces including social distancing floor decals, display-sized participation charts, buttons, stickers, and other resources promoting good nutrition and the hard work of school nutrition teams.  [More]