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As TAD celebrates 30 years, what’s ahead for the Texas dairy industry?
By Darren Turley, TAD executive director
Thirty years ago, a group of Central Texas dairy farmers saw the need for an organization to represent the state’s industry in rule making and legislative issues across the state of Texas. Thus was born the Texas Association of Dairymen (TAD). The organization quickly became a leader in Texas agriculture.
As a dairy farmer myself at the time, I remember those days and the circumstances that surrounded TAD’s formation. I was struggling in my operation and also saw other producers suffer through unjustified and overreaching regulations that eventually led a number of dairy farmers to leave the profession. It seems hard to imagine now, but Texas was home to 2,000 dairy operations at that time, with roughly 350,000 cows. The state now has 331 dairies with about 585,000 cows.
My experiences as a dairy farmer inspired me to fight for our Texas producers by becoming TAD’s executive director in December 2010.
While we’re taking time in this newsletter to observe TAD’s 30th anniversary, we’re also looking toward the future: Texas is on the verge of becoming the fourth largest dairy producing state in the U.S.; Texas milk production continues to grow; and our farmers are embracing technology to run dairies more efficiently.
The future of the Texas dairy industry is bright – but issues remain, and TAD is busier than ever working diligently to both promote and defend the state’s dairy farmers in legislative and regulatory matters.
For example, I recently visited with U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas), whose district includes some Central Texas dairies, about the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that would be reinstated in the proposed $3.5 trillion federal budget. Williams stated the bill is likely to pass, and the U.S. Senate most likely will not remove the WOTUS language. Even though Williams understands the adverse impact of the WOTUS reinstatement on the dairy industry, he is only one vote.
This visit made me realize that 30 years has not changed the fact that it’s always a struggle to educate lawmakers about the impacts of regulations on rural America and Texas dairy farmers. And as the Texas Legislature prepares to take up redistricting, based on population shifts seen in the 2020 census, it’s easy to see the shrinking voice of rural Texas.
While the focus at the Texas Capitol is on another special session, TAD has already begun discussing and planning for the next regular legislative session set to start in January 2023. As we visit with state legislators in the upcoming months, we will share the state of the dairy industry and educate urban legislators on where all the great dairy products come from.
TAD also continues to work with our agriculture colleges to discuss research and education needs for the next generation of dairy producers and consumers. Texas A&M University is developing a new direction on food and its nutritional impact on individual human disease resistance that will be rolled out later this year. Dairy is such a strong nutritional component for individuals’ health needs that it is easy to see its bigger role in the future as people understand their protein, calcium and vitamin needs more fully.
I can only imagine where this industry will go in the next 30 years. Robots, genomics and who knows what else Texas dairy farmers will have at their disposal will produce record amounts of milk to feed the world. Maybe Texas will be the largest dairy state in the country in the next 30 years. One thing is certain. There always will be a need to educate consumers and lawmakers about all the hard work involved to feed Texans and others around the world.
The Texas Association of Dairymen looks forward to the very bright future of the dairy industry, and we will continue to protect it into the future.
