More than 20 attachs will get up-close look at Texas agriculture.
Published: 09-10-07
Published: 09-10-07
AUSTIN – Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced today Texas agriculture will be in the international spotlight as more than 20 foreign agricultural attachs spend a week touring the Lone Star State meeting producers and learning about the vast diversity and production power of the state’s $85-billion agricultural industry.“As the nation’s second-leading agricultural producer Texas is in a unique position to showcase the incredible array of commodities and products coming from our fields pastures orchards vineyards and rangelands” Commissioner Staples said. “Few other regions in the world have the ‘complete package’ and diversity of livestock crops fruits and vegetables that you will find in Texas.
“I welcome our distinguished guests to the Lone Star State and personally thank all those in the Texas agricultural industry who have opened their farms ranches production facilities and agribusinesses to the attachs” Commissioner Staples said.
The annual attach tour is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. The Texas Department of Agriculture coordinated the state tour and various producer groups production facilities and businesses are hosting tours and sponsoring events during the week. The foreign officials pay their own travel lodging and meal expenses.
The annual tour helps educate U.S. trading partners about the American agricultural industry and provides a first-hand look at the variety of products produced in the United States and a chance to meet the people who produce them. This year’s tour will help promote Texas agriculture and expand the state’s global markets.
The annual attach tour is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. The Texas Department of Agriculture coordinated the state tour and various producer groups production facilities and businesses are hosting tours and sponsoring events during the week. The foreign officials pay their own travel lodging and meal expenses.
The annual tour helps educate U.S. trading partners about the American agricultural industry and provides a first-hand look at the variety of products produced in the United States and a chance to meet the people who produce them. This year’s tour will help promote Texas agriculture and expand the state’s global markets.
Texas is the leading state for U.S. cotton exports and ranked third in 2006 in all agricultural exports with an estimated $3.8 billion in sales. Texas’ top five agricultural exports in 2006 were cotton; live animals and red meats; hides and skins; feeds and fodders; and wheat.
The tour begins Sept. 9 in Amarillo and concludes Sept. 15 at TDA’s Centennial Celebration at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
“Texas is known around the world for its agriculture and hospitality and this is a great opportunity for Texans to showcase both” Commissioner Staples said.
Highlights include:
The tour begins Sept. 9 in Amarillo and concludes Sept. 15 at TDA’s Centennial Celebration at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
“Texas is known around the world for its agriculture and hospitality and this is a great opportunity for Texans to showcase both” Commissioner Staples said.
Highlights include:
• Sept. 9 – Tour of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in Amarillo and a chuck wagon dinner sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association Texas Wheat Producers Board Texas Grain Sorghum Association Texas Cattle Feeders Association Bar Z Wines Cap*Rock Winery and Pheasant Ridge Winery.
• Sept. 10 – Tour of Mission Dairy and a feed yard in Hereford; lunch provided by Plains Cotton Cooperative Association and Plains Cotton Growers Inc. and tour of the Denim Mill in Littlefield; tour of the Texas Tech University Research and Experimental Farm in New Deal; tour and sponsored dinner at Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock.
• Sept. 11 – Tour and breakfast provided by Bayer CropScience in Lubbock; tour Birdsong peanut shelling facility in Brownfield; lunch in Lamesa provided by the Texas Corn Producers Board and Texas Peanut Producers Board; tour Airtricity Wind Farm in Big Spring; dinner at Fort Concho in San Angelo sponsored by the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers’ Association and the Mohair Council of America.
• Sept. 12 – Tour San Angelo Research and Extension facility in San Angelo; tour Chico Denis Feedlot in Vancourt; tour of Torre di Pietra Winery in Fredericksburg and lunch sponsored by the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association; tour Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg.
• Sept. 13 – Tour San Antonio Food Bank in San Antonio: tour Mortellaro’s Nursery Inc. in Schertz; tour and lunch with chef demonstration at Crider Americas and Reliable Brand Organics in Cedar Creek; tour the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center and Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology at Texas A&M University in College Station and reception with Texas A&M University.
• Sept. 14 – Tour Camp Cooley Ranch in Franklin; sponsored lunch in Waco by the Texas Farm Bureau; tour a local horse farm in Waco.
• Sept. 15 – TDA Centennial Celebration at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Countries represented on the tour are: Angola Australia Croatia Egypt European Union Finland France Germany Greece India Ireland Israel Japan Kenya Lithuania Mexico The Netherlands New Zealand Slovak Republic South Africa and Switzerland.
• Sept. 10 – Tour of Mission Dairy and a feed yard in Hereford; lunch provided by Plains Cotton Cooperative Association and Plains Cotton Growers Inc. and tour of the Denim Mill in Littlefield; tour of the Texas Tech University Research and Experimental Farm in New Deal; tour and sponsored dinner at Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock.
• Sept. 11 – Tour and breakfast provided by Bayer CropScience in Lubbock; tour Birdsong peanut shelling facility in Brownfield; lunch in Lamesa provided by the Texas Corn Producers Board and Texas Peanut Producers Board; tour Airtricity Wind Farm in Big Spring; dinner at Fort Concho in San Angelo sponsored by the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers’ Association and the Mohair Council of America.
• Sept. 12 – Tour San Angelo Research and Extension facility in San Angelo; tour Chico Denis Feedlot in Vancourt; tour of Torre di Pietra Winery in Fredericksburg and lunch sponsored by the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association; tour Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg.
• Sept. 13 – Tour San Antonio Food Bank in San Antonio: tour Mortellaro’s Nursery Inc. in Schertz; tour and lunch with chef demonstration at Crider Americas and Reliable Brand Organics in Cedar Creek; tour the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center and Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology at Texas A&M University in College Station and reception with Texas A&M University.
• Sept. 14 – Tour Camp Cooley Ranch in Franklin; sponsored lunch in Waco by the Texas Farm Bureau; tour a local horse farm in Waco.
• Sept. 15 – TDA Centennial Celebration at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Countries represented on the tour are: Angola Australia Croatia Egypt European Union Finland France Germany Greece India Ireland Israel Japan Kenya Lithuania Mexico The Netherlands New Zealand Slovak Republic South Africa and Switzerland.
