Texas Department of Agriculture:

An Inventory of Department of Agriculture Assistant Commissioner of Marketing Records, 2000-2011, undated, bulk 2003-2009

Agency History

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) was created in 1907 (House Bill 274 and Senate Joint Resolution 13, 30th Texas Legislature, Regular Session). Until then, official agricultural business had been conducted by the Department of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and History. The records in this collection represent those accrued by the assistant commissioner for marketing during the tenures of Agriculture commissioners Susan Combs and Todd Staples. As of September 1, 2011, the Texas Department of Agriculture no longer has a stand-alone marketing division.

The department, with headquarters in Austin, has 12 district offices - in Amarillo, Beaumont, Brenham, Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, Odessa, San Antonio, San Juan, Stephenville, Tyler, and Vernon. Its consumer-services division is one of the largest in the state administration. Current duties include promoting Texas agricultural products locally, nationally and internationally; assisting in the development of the agribusiness industry in Texas; regulating the sale, use and disposal of pesticides and herbicides; controlling destructive plant pests and diseases; and ensuring the accuracy of all weighing or measuring devices (such as grocery scales and gas pumps) used in commercial transactions. TDA includes: five regional centers in Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, and San Juan; four sub-offices in Amarillo, Corpus Christi, El Paso, and Tyler; three seed laboratories in Giddings, Lubbock, and Stephenville; six export pens in Brownsville, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Houston, and Laredo; six Cooperative Inspection Program Facilities in Alamo, Austin, Brownsville, Gorman, Pearsall, and Pleasanton; and a pesticide laboratory in Brenham. Agricultural programs are carried out by the Marketing and Agribusiness Development Division, Pesticide Programs Division, Producer Services Division, and Regulatory Programs Division. Supporting TDA divisions consist of Administration, Communications, General Counsel, Intergovernmental Affairs and Internal Audit. In addition, the Texas Agricultural Statistics Service and the Texas Cooperative Inspection Program are joint federal-state programs operated by TDA and the federal government. The statistics service provides state, district, and county estimates for major field crops, small grains, livestock, fruit, pecans, and vegetables, while the inspection program oversees the quality inspection of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and peanuts. TDA also works in conjunction with the Agriculture Resources Protection Authority on pesticide issues, the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation, Inc., the Texas Food and Fibers Commission on natural fibers development and plant food protein research, and a variety of advisory boards. Finally, TDA administers the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, which provides financial assistance to agriculture related businesses for the production, processing, marketing, and export of Texas agricultural products.

In 1998, Susan Combs, a fourth-generation rancher, was elected the state's 10th commissioner of agriculture and the first woman in the state’s history to hold this position. In 2006, she was succeeded by Todd Staples, a former high school Future Farmers of America member and graduate of Texas A&M University, who was re-elected in 2010.

In 1999 the Texas Legislature decided that the state needed a Texas agricultural product promotion program to increase consumer awareness and expand the markets for Texas Agricultural products. The Texas Department of Agriculture, through the GO TEXAN Partner Program, program grants and matching funds, was determined the proper department to accomplish this goal (House Bill 2719, 76th Legislature, Regular Session). The GO TEXAN program was established to encourage the development and expansion of markets through the participation of eligible applicants who provide funds to be matched for promotional marketing programs implemented by TDA. Specifically, the program is to develop procedures for acceptance and administration of funds received to administer the program; develop application screening and selection procedures; develop a general promotional campaign for Texas agricultural products and advertising campaigns for specific Texas products based on successful project requests; develop advertising programs and promotional materials for use by program participants; contract with media representatives to disperse promotional materials; and receive matching funds and establish internal reporting requirements. For the purposes of the program, an eligible applicant must be a state or regional organization that promotes the marketing and sale of Texas agricultural products and does not stand to profit directly from specific sales of agricultural commodities; a cooperative organization; a state agency or board that promotes the marketing and sale of agricultural products; a national organization or board that represents Texas producers and promotes the sale of Texas products; an eligible small business; or any other appropriate entity. Program monies are maintained in the general revenue fund in the GO TEXAN partner program account.

The department markets and supports the Texas wine industry through the Texas Wine Marketing Assistance Program and with funding from the Wine Industry Development Fund. In 2001 the Texas wine industry, in conjunction with Texas legislators and TDA, established the Texas Wine Marketing Assistance Program (House Bill 892, 77th Legislature, Regular Session). This program was enhanced by the Wine Industry Development Fund created in 2005 (Senate Bills 1370 and 1137, 79th Legislature, Regular Session).

(Sources: Previous Texas Department of Agriculture finding aids prepared by TSLAC staff and the records themselves.)

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Scope and Contents of the Records

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) markets Texas agriculture products with a variety of outreach programs. These records consist of minutes, correspondence, memoranda, notes, agenda, manuals, rules, drafts, organizations charts, reports, legal advice and opinions, speeches, presentations, pamphlets, brochures, and printed materials that document the Department's Division of Marketing from 2000 to 2011, and undated, bulk 2003-2009. Meeting files document the GO TEXAN, GO TEXAN Partner Program, GO TEXAN Wildlife Program, GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up, Restaurant Focus Group, Live Texan, Texas Wine Industry Development Advisory Committee (WIDAC), Texas Wine Team, Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, TDA Wine Program, Specialty Crop Task Force, TDA Texas Organic Agriculture Industry Advisory Board, TDA Commissioner Advisory Council, and Healthy Students=Healthy Families Advisory Committee, and a variety of other related bodies. The materials document the works of the boards and committees in administering the programs that promote Texas agriculture and Texas wine, promoting agricultural diversification in Texas, and promoting market expansion and consumer awareness of Texas agricultural products. The materials also include meeting records from non-TDA and non-Texas organizations with which members of the Division of Marketing staff were involved or concerned.

Reports and studies files document research solicited or consulted by the Division of Marketing in planning for various marketing initiatives, including Texas Wine Reports from Apogee Search, Market Analysis of the Texas Wine Industry from Sam Houston State University, Media Relations Report Wine Marketing Program from Tate Austin, Mexico Export Report, Texas Livestock Industry: A Review of Current Economic Conditions, TDA agency highlights prepared by the assistant commissioner of marketing, Texas Consumption and Production of Agricultural Commodities, a trip report from the Texas delegation regarding the US-Cuba trade and economic council, TDA qualitative research finding focus groups from the University of Houston, a marketing plan from the Wine and Spirits Management Institute at the University of Houston, Strategies for the Texas Wine Industry through 2030 from the University of Houston, TDA Texas Wine Industry Development Advisory Committee report, TDA assessment report for Texas Public School Nutrition Policy, Evaluation of the Square Meals Nutrition Education and Outreach Program Initiatives, summary of TDA’s marketing assessment, School Meal Nutritional Assessment report, Healthy Kids=Healthy Families Advisory Committee report, GO TEXAN Partner Program Evaluation, GO TEXAN Executive Summary Report, Attitudes Towards GO TEXAN Report, Keep in Mind Development report, GO TEXAN Marketing Events assessment report, an evaluation of the GO TEXAN Marketing Program, results of member survey from The University of Texas and Texas A&M University District Extension Administrator, and Marketing Fresh Cut Texas Citrus Report.

Among the other major records, publication development files document the creation, development, distribution, and occasional dissolution of other marketing-related initiatives of TDA, including the development of logos, brochures, and advertising campaigns for the GO TEXAN and Live Texan programs. Public relations files document the history of the Division of Marketing’s advertising, marketing, and outreach efforts, including both in-house and external marketing initiatives, industry partnerships, and include brochures, guides, press releases, and media packets. Speeches, papers, and presentation files document the development, drafts, and delivery of speeches and presentations by TDA commissioners Susan Combs and Todd Staples to committees, advisory councils, and external stakeholders such as industry associations, corporations, educational institutions, and producers. Legal opinions and advice files document TDA’s research and implementation of contemporary legal standards as they relate to the Division of Marketing’s various initiatives and programs.

To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions including, but not limited to attorney-client privilege, agency memoranda or attorney work product (Texas Government Code, Section 552.107 or 111), an archivist must review these records before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail (Texas State Library and Archives Commission, P. O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711), fax (512-463-5436), email (director.librarian@tsl.texas.gov), or see our web page (http://www.tsl.texas.gov/agency/customer/pia.html). Include enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information. If our review reveals information that may be excepted by the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an open records decision from the Attorney General on whether the records can be released. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten working days after receiving a request to make this determination. The Attorney General has 45 working days to render a decision. Alternately, the Archives can inform you of the nature of the potentially excepted information and if you agree, that information can be redacted or removed and you can access the remainder of the records.

These restrictions particularly apply to the following series:

State Fair of Texas legal files, 2003, 2006, Box 2013/113-2

Rural Texas exports files, 2002-2009, undated, Box 2013/113-3

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

Technical Requirements

None.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Texas Department of Agriculture, Assistant Commissioner of Marketing records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession number: 2013/113

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Department of Agriculture, on April 2, 2013.

Processing Information

Processing and finding aid by Susan Floyd and Monica Lozano, students at the University of Texas at Austin, School of Information, February-May, 2014

Corrections to finding aid and DACS-compliance by Aditi Worcester, August 2014

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Detailed Description of the Records

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