Sid Miller was kind enough to meet with me to discuss his campaign for Texas Agriculture Commissioner. Early in the conversation it became clear he is running for the right reasons. He emphasized that he makes his living off the land, and views the position not as a stepping-stone to higher office, but as a long-term operational role with significant day-to-day responsibilities. From there, we discussed how he sees the scope of the office, current policy challenges, and the political environment surrounding this year’s race.
How do you see the role of the Texas Agriculture Commissioner evolving over the next decade?
Commissioner Miller returned several times to the idea that the Agriculture Commissioner’s role is often misunderstood. In his view, it is less a platform for future political ambitions and more a management position responsible for a wide range of regulatory, consumer protection, and economic development functions that affect Texans daily.
The Texas Department of Agriculture performs more than 130 statutory functions involving both state and federal partnerships. These include consumer protection, ensuring schoolchildren receive healthy meals, operating the Go Texan program, and supporting rural healthcare initiatives.
He also described the department’s role in border-related biosecurity, including roughly 500 inspection and monitoring stations designed to detect invasive pests, plant diseases, and other threats, especially pertinent with the ongoing debate of importing beef from Argentina and the presence of a new world screwworm larvae in an Argentinian horse. Screwworm Larvae Found in Imported Horse | Equine Disease Communication Center
Beyond existing programs, what new priorities would you pursue to strengthen rural communities?
Commissioner Miller connected this to trade and economic development. He said the United States now runs an agricultural trade deficit of roughly $50 billion. He organized trade missions focused on selling Texas agricultural products overseas, citing an agreement with Taiwan involving approximately $10 billion in purchases of Texas agricultural goods.
What makes you the better choice to continue serving as Agriculture Commissioner?
Commissioner Miller emphasized experience and results, pointing to his lifelong agricultural background and continued involvement in cattle and crop production.
This primary feels more competitive than in some past cycles. What’s driving that?
Commissioner Miller referenced a positive Sunset review and noted his disagreements with Governor Abbott during the pandemic, including his independent authority to issue executive orders declaring agriculture related industries essential business thereby keeping agricultural operations open.
He also noted the Governor’s enhanced inspections of trucking in from Mexico caused an estimated $3 billion in losses.
Immigration Impact on Agricultural Labor
Commissioner Miller discussed the H-2A visa program, noting growth from roughly 75,000 to 500,000 permits, and support for college students working in agricultural opportunities, that has led to permanent post-graduation employment. Currently approximately 800,000 laborers are needed, but he noted that with ongoing technological advancement the needed number of laborers would decrease.
How would Agriculture Freedom Zones balance farmland preservation with economic development?
Commissioner Miller described an incentive-based approach to steer development away from prime farmland, requiring legislative cooperation and supported by federal relationships. He also pointed out that his vision isn’t a negative regulatory framework, but a positive incentive driven proposition, and his existing relationship with the federal government to achieve the necessary federal legislation to allow his incentive driven vision.
How serious is the New World screwworm risk, and what is the state doing?
Commissioner Miller pointed out that the threat is resurgent after a prior threat in the 1970s. He continued back then sterile fly releases were used to defeat the threat. Presently, the need for sterile files is in excess of the capability to breed the flies, but the Agriculture Commission has directly assisted in ramping up fly breeding. He also discussed bait programs that are specifically tailored to affect only the relevant flies, and international coordination with Central American countries regarding the bait programs.
Beef Prices and Herd Capacity
Commissioner Miller drew a distinction between his approach to rising beef prices and that of his opponent. He said proposals to import additional beef from Argentina may offer short-term price relief but do little to address underlying supply constraints in the domestic market.
Instead, Miller argued that the more durable solution is increasing herd head count over time. He pointed to prior programs that allowed Mexican cattle to be raised and finished in Texas, which he said helped expand herd numbers while supporting Texas ranchers and related industries. According to Miller, restoring and expanding those pathways would increase supply, stabilize prices, and strengthen the long-term resilience of the cattle market.
He framed the issue as one of production capacity rather than imports, emphasizing that policies focused on herd growth address price pressures while keeping economic benefits within the Texas agricultural sector.
Water scarcity and local assistance
Water scarcity is an increasingly significant threat to the state, with opportunity to combine water preservation and flood control. Commissioner Miller discussed the Legislature passing $10 billion in state water funding and $78 million in rural development grants his office has provided. He noted that 30% of water loss comes from degraded infrastructure, which is a simple fix. He also expressed an interest in efforts to combine water preservation with flood control measures.
Federal Relationships and Influence
Commissioner Miller highlighted relationships with the Trump administration and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pointing to roughly $300 million annually in Texas-sourced food purchases for schools improving the food quality for the schools and increasing the market for Texas produce.
Conclusion
The interview reflected both the operational scope of the office and the broader forces shaping Texas agriculture. From trade and biosecurity to water planning and rural grants, Commissioner Miller returned often to the idea that the position is one to be run for the benefit of Texas, not a steppingstone to higher office (as is often the case with statewide elections) and pointed to tangible economic benefits tied to his administration’s focus.
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