WARMTH IN THE COLD:
TEXANS HELPING TEXANS
An Editorial by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller - February 19, 2021 If 2020 was the year from hell, it looks like 2021 is the year hell froze over. This last week has been very tough on Texans as multiple winter storms swept across the Lone Star State, dropping over 29 million Texans in the deep freeze. Millions endured a “white out”, with historic, blistering cold, record snowfall, dangerous ice, closed schools, shuttered businesses and even closed churches. Over 4 million Texans lost power, many had no water, no natural gas and dwindling food supplies. All in the midst of a pandemic. Remember COVID-19? It’s been a tough week. But I have never been prouder to be a Texan. Here in Texas, when a neighbor is in need, Texans step up to help. We’re here for our neighbors, to offer a hand up or at least a shoulder they can lean on. Whether it’s a hurricane, a wildfire, a global pandemic, or a record-busting winter storm, Texans pull together and help each other out. How many images of looting have you seen from Texas this week? Here at the Texas Department of Agriculture, our folks have been doing our part, even as they struggled themselves. This week, my staff has been working relentlessly to help producers locate feed and hay for their livestock, find ways to get their products to market and locate agriculture processors that are open to try to keep the food chain moving. TDA field staff have been working directly with rural and urban food banks to help locate food for distribution, and with our rural hospitals making sure they have resources, equipment, 60
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and services open. Our school nutrition staff have worked to provide guidance to schools across the state serving as emergency warming centers or shelters. Additionally, we’ve fired up the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund or STAR Fund to assist farmers and ranchers with agricultural disaster relief efforts. I encourage everyone to visit the TDA website (www.texasagriculture.gov) if you’d like to make a donation. And make no mistake, Texas farmers and ranchers are struggling right now, and they need our help. Dairy farmers are dumping millions of dollars’ worth of milk every day due to lack of power and natural gas at processing plants. Trucks needed to move produce are stuck. Feed mills have been forced to shut down to conserve energy, so producers are desperate to find feed for their livestock. Poultry producers are facing a massive loss due to lack of energy needed to heat incubators and facilities. Without access to power, water and feed producers are fearful their livestock will die from exposure and lack of nutrition. That’s not mentioning the damage Texas citrus has encountered with the deep freeze. Citrus producers in the Rio Grande Valley have already seen a 60% loss in grapefruit and with temperatures below freezing ice buildup in the fruit is sure to cause continued crop loss. It has been over 30 years since the valley has seen a destructive freeze like this. As a rancher myself, I’ve struggled to keep my herd watered and fed in this icy weather.
