You may know of Jim Hightower for his larger than life personality and quick wit, but his tenure with the Texas Department of Agriculture is no laughing matter. In his eight years in office, he ushered in a wave of populist reforms that have largely been written out of history. We’re in the process of interviewing his collaborators for a forthcoming documentary.
Until then, read our blog posts about TDA’s work in the 1980s.
- Pesticides are Hell on Bugs and Not Much Better on People
- Wine, Texas, and the Camelot Project
- Farmer’s Markets in Texas
- Wind Power and the TDA
- Farm Bill 1985: A Lost Opportunity
- Texas Organic Label First in Nation
- Texas Ag Department and Nuclear Waste
- PHIT New Project
View our Video Essays
Doing the Right Thing: The Pesticide War in Texas
This short video talks about the Jim Hightower Texas Department of Agriculture battle to regulate pesticides in Texas in the 1980s. Dale Burnett, Juanita Cox, Vaughn Cox, Ellen Widess, Sam Biscoe and Victor Moreno, Jr tell the story of this regulatory battle to protect Texas farmworkers, consumers, and the land itself from dangerous pesticides.
Chef Robert Del Grande and Southwest Cuisine
Robert del Grande on promoting Southwest Cuisine with Jim Hightower and the TDA in SanFrancisco. Robert Del Grande is one of the chefs that worked to create a name for Southwest Cuisine during the 80’s, working with the TDA and Jim Hightower to let Texas be known for fine food and fine dining. Documentary by Shereena Mathew.
Also view our fast videos from our Zoom interviews.
Mack Martinez on working with the Texas Department of Agriculture.