Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller took the opportunity to speak to The Dublin Citizen about a variety of topics impacting the area and the state.
During a phone interview Tuesday, Feb. 4, Miller addressed everything from pending tariffs to mystery seeds from China.
The commissioner was asked though the tariffs from Mexico and Canada were on a 30 day pause currently, what impacts if any were expected on the Texas’ agriculture industry.
Miller responded that there was about a 99.9% certainty the effects from the tariffs would never be seen because countries were already complying with President Donald Trump’s requests.
However, Miller said he was asking the White House to request monies from the Mexican government for the 1944 Water Treaty. The 1944 Water Treaty between the United States and Mexico allocated and managed the waters of the Rio Grande, Colorado River, and Tijuana River. The treaty was signed on February 3, 1944.
The treaty aids Texas in growing crops including sugarcane, fruits and vegetables, he said.
The treaty moves in five-year cycles and allows Mexico to run a water debt in the first four years, if it can make it up in the fifth.
Mexico is obliged to deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water per year, or about 1.75 million acre-feet over 5 years. An acre-foot of water is enough to flood a field with one foot of water. The United States, in return, gives Mexico even more water from other water sources farther west.
But in the current cycle which began in 2020, Mexico has so far delivered only about 425,000 acrefeet overall, only about one quarter of what it owes for the five-year period, which ends in October 2025. Currently, water is dammed up in its interior reservoirs and in 2024, 125,000 acre feet was released to Texas, however, Miller is asking the White House to aid in the state receiving the rest of the water.
Miller also addressed President Trump’s new immigration policies and the impact it could have on the Texas agriculture industry.
“We used to use about 50% illegal immigrants and we do still have some,” he said, in regards to those working in agricultural industries. “But the numbers here on H2-A have grown and replaced a lot of illegal immigrants.”
H2-A Visas are foreign nationals who are temporarily employed in the United States to perform agricultural work.
“What I will tell people is if you are employing illegal workers or criminals you should be prepared to lose those guys,” he said.
Miller said technology has aided Texas agriculture in the reduction of labor force too.
The commissioner also addressed the spread, once again, of mystery seeds from China stating that there are new reports of unsolicited seed packages arriving across Texas from Chinese vendors.
The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is safely collecting these packages and ensuring they are delivered to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for inspection.
One Texan reported ordering a dog toy from the Chinese vendor TEMU, only to receive a package of seeds instead. With the total number of reported packages now at five statewide, Texans are urged to exercise caution when opening any unexpected packages from China.
“It’s clear there’s a trend here, and Americans nationwide need to stay vigilant,” Commissioner Miller said. “The importance of biosecurity for our country shouldn’t be overlooked. We heard back from APHIS; sure enough, the first reported package included an invasive plant species. We need everyone’s support to report these unsolicited packages from China.”
APHIS has identified the seeds and liquid in the package delivered earlier this week to Clute. The seeds were identified as Sacred Lotus or Nelumbo nucifera seeds, also known as Indian lotus, an aquatic plant. The unlabeled liquid was also confirmed as an accompanying nutrient solution.
If you receive a foreign package containing seeds, do not open it. Keep the contents sealed in their original packaging and immediately contact the TDA toll-free at (800) TELL- TDA.
Commissioner Miller also addressed impacts of meat and egg prices to Texas consumers.
Part of the impact of Texas’ beef industry was a ban on cattle from Mexico after the U.S. Department of Agriculture banned imports in Nov. 2024 due to the presence of screwworms.
The screwworms were discovered on a cow near Mexico’s border with Guatemala.
Miller said the USDA prematurely closed imports and is hampering an industry still trying to recover from two years of widespread drought. About 3% of U.S. cattle come from Mexico but a large number of those remain in Texas. November and December are typically when the U.S. imports the largest number of cattle from Mexico, he said.
In February, the ban on Mexico cattle expired and Miller said consumers should see meat prices go down.
Miller expects the same with eggs at least within the next six months.
“We haven’t had any commercial or dairy cases,” Miller spoke of avian flu that is impacting the poultry industry. “Texas is in good shape currently. I think we will be ok. Give it 60 to 90 days.”
Miller also said he was pleased with some items included in Governor Greg Abbott’s State Address Feb. 2.
“I was very pleased with some of the emergency items and that he led the call that Texas is out of water,” he said. One of Governor Abbott’s emergency items is investing in water infrastructure since Texas is losing about 30% of its water due to poor infrastructure.
Other priority items include no longer doing business with any company that has DEI policies, stopping China from buying farm land, rural healthcare improvements and immigration.