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]

COMMISSIONER MILLER HONORS WINNERS OF 2020-21 ART CONTEST
AUSTIN- Today, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced the winners in the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) 2020 You Art What You Eat student art contest. Artwork inspired by the winning entries will be displayed in schools across Texas during National School Lunch Week this month and School Breakfast Week in the spring. This year’s themes are centered around space exploration — Blast Off with a Healthy School Lunch and Blast Off with a Healthy School Breakfast.  [More]

COMMISSIONER MILLER ANNOUNCES FARM TO SCHOOL MONTH
Today, Commissioner Sid Miller announced the Texas Department of Agriculture Farm to School Month will kick off in October 2020 to build connections between Texas farmers and ranchers and Texas students participating in federal school nutrition programs.  [More]

COMMISSIONER SID MILLER ANNOUNCES 2020 HEALTH AMBASSADORS FOR A READY TEXAS (HART)
AUSTIN- Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today announced he has named a new team of high school students as Health Ambassadors for a Ready Texas (HART). These young Texans will increase awareness of local foods and Texas agriculture using resources such as TDA’s Farm Fresh Initiative. Ambassadors will also promote school meals during National School Lunch Week, Farm to School Month and other exciting events throughout the year. They collaborate with school staff and TDA to drive engagement in these activities as well as creating their own plans to develop healthier campuses.  [More]

COMMISSIONER MILLER CONNECTS TEXANS WITH HEALTHY MEALS THROUGH CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM
AUSTIN- Today, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is reminding Texans that the federally funded Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) offers nutritious meals to children and adults in need across the Lone Star State. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has partnered with approximately 13,000 adult day care centers, child care centers and home-based day cares in Texas to serve nutritious free or reduced-priced meals through CACFP.  [More]

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROVIDES GUIDANCE ON SCHOOL MEALS AS STUDENTS RETURN
(AUSTIN) This week Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has provided additional guidance to the public, elected officials, and school leaders on how Texas will implement federal school meal programs in this state for the fall semester. This follows a broad announcement last week by USDA about availability and cost of school meals. The announcement from USDA can be read HERE.  [More]