If you are a grower or a seller of plants, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) web site has information you might need. You can find them here.
What is the Texas Department of Agriculture?
The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is a state agency established by the Texas Legislature in 1907. The commissioner of agriculture, who is elected in the general election every four years, heads the agency. The current commissioner, Todd Staples, was elected in 2006.
The mission statement of the Texas Department of Agriculture is:
Partner with all Texans to make Texas the nation's leader in agriculture, fortify our economy, empower rural communities, promote healthy lifestyles, and cultivate winning strategies for rural, suburban and urban Texas through exceptional service and the common threads of agriculture in our daily lives.
What does The Texas Department of Agriculture Do?
Consumer Protection:
Regulates all fuel pumps in Texas to ensure drivers get the quality and amount of fuel they pay for.
Regulates all weights and measures devices, such as grocery store scales and retail price scanners, to ensure consumers are charged advertised prices.
Regulates pesticide use and application from residential to commercial use.
Certifies organically-produced products to help ensure consumers have a reliable supply of organic options.
Production Agriculture:
Protects agricultural crops, such as citrus and cotton, from harmful pests and diseases.
Facilitates trade and market development of agricultural commodities ranging from livestock to crops to ensure Texas remains the nation's leader in the production of cattle, cotton, hay, sheep, wool, goats, mohair and horses.
Provides financial assistance to farmers and ranchers in the form of loan guarantees, interest rate reductions and even grants for young farmers
Administers grant funds for agricultural research to develop new technologies.
Advocates for policies at the federal, state, and local level that are beneficial to the $106 billion agriculture sector, which makes up 10% of the Texas economy.
Healthy Living:
Administers the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs for Texas school children.
Fights obesity in Texas through a statewide campaign highlighting the 3E's of Healthy Living - Education, Exercise and Eating Right.
Administers assistance to bring food to the hungry through the Texans Feeding Texans initiative.
Economic Development:
Provides tools for communities to attract businesses and other economic development opportunities.
Offers infrastructure grants to rural communities Leads in the development of statewide broadband services.
Administers a Certified Retirement Community program to attract retirees to the second leading retirement state in the U.S. Markets Texas products, cultures and communities through the GO TEXAN branded campaign.
