East Texas

BY PHILLIP WILLIAMS
Special Correspondent

GILMER -- Hurricane Ike hit agriculture in Texas "pretty hard," leaving thousands of cattle roaming among other damage, Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples told a dinner meeting of the Northeast Texas Association of Soil and Water Conserva-tion Districts Monday night.

About 75 persons attended the gathering at the Gilmer Civic Center, said Ray Lewis, the association's secretary.

Staples, who noted he visited the area struck by the hurricane, said, "Pictures don't really tell the true story of how much damage has been done. ...It's just really unbelievable."

"The ground is just as brown as can be," he added. And "it's estimated that about 15-20,000 head of cattle are roaming around," so cattle haulers are going to the area, the commissioner said.

One way to help agricultural producers affected by the storm is to call 1-800-TELL-TDA, said Staples. That operation has received about 5,000 donated bales of round hay, he said.

Turning his attention to the state's agricultural situation in general, Staples said approximately 85 percent of Texans now live in urban areas, so "agriculture's contribution doesn't get the headlines." Yet, agriculture permeates everything, he contended.

He said children shoud be taught that everything "doesn't come boneless, skinless, and ready for the microwave."

Last year, when the Texas Department of Agriculture marked its 100th anniversary, agriculture in Texas involved more than $100 billion -- -and one in seven Texans are employed in agriculture-related jobs, Staples said.

"Agriculture is big business in northeast Texas as well," he said. In that 14-county area, sales of agricultural products total nearly $1 billion annually, the commissioner said.

Staples also discussed some of his department's activities, such as funding Meals on Wheels and "Operation Spotlight," which he said caught gas stations short-changing customers at the pump.

The information on the stations was turned over to state Attorney General Greg Abbott, and "that company is now facing $20 million in fines," Staples said.