AGRI 1311 Dairy Science : Texas Agriculture Resources: Organizations

Agency Information
The Texas Legislature established the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) in 1907. The agency's key objectives are to promote production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development and healthy living. The agriculture commissioner oversees the agency and is elected every four years. The current commissioner, Sid Miller, was elected in 2014 and began his third term serving Texas agriculture in January 2023.

TDA is a diversified state agency that provides value-added services through our regulatory and marketing and initiatives. TDA is headquartered in Austin and has five regional service offices, two sub-offices, three laboratories and five livestock export facilities.

Mission:
TDA’s mission is to 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.

Cooperative Extension, established in 1914, was designated as a partnership of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the land-grant universities, which were authorized by the federal Morrill Acts 1862 and 1890. The Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) is operated through the Prairie View A&M University Land Grant in partnership with the federal, state, and local governments. This nationwide educational and outreach network is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) our federal partner. The mission of CEP is to respond to the needs of underserved Texans through learning opportunities that empower families, promote agriculture, strengthen communities, and foster leadership development in youth.

Cooperative Extension educators or agents translate science for the public, engage the public to act, prepare people for a better life, provide rapid response in disasters, develop partnerships, and connect people online. CEP is in 55 counties with 30,000 volunteers who assist in extending programs under training and direction from Extension agents. The strength of Extension is county-based education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4-H Youth Development, Community and Economic Development, and Family and Community Health.

Dr. Carolyn J. Williams currently serves as Executive Associate Director of PVAMU’s Cooperative Extension Program.

Our mission is:
to protect the animal industry from, and/or mitigate the effects of domestic, foreign and emerging diseases;
to increase the marketability of Texas livestock commodities at the state, national and international level;
to promote and ensure animal health and productivity;
to protect human health from animal diseases and conditions that are transmissible to people; and,
to prepare for and respond to emergency situations involving animals by conducting agency business in a responsive, cooperative and transparent manner.