“Working with Hightower and the work every day were the best part of my life…It was really fun…There aren’t so many people like Jim Hightower… I worked with Hightower for probably 10 years in the different things he did, and I just loved it.. My husband was kind of happy when it ended, because sometimes I didn’t get home until […]
Farm Bill 1985: A Lost Opportunity
Rally to Save Family Farms Texas Populism Project Doug Zabel grew up on a farm in the Midwest and was a political consultant and campaign manager before he went to work with the Texas Department of Agriculture. He became closely involved with the development of the National Farm Bill of 1985. “My dad had this little community bank that was […]
Texas Organic Label First in Nation
First Texas official Organic Label Texas was first State to certify an Organic Label for produce. That’s right—TEXAS! In 1987, the Texas Department of Agriculture established an official State label guaranteeing that the produce was organically grown. It is a little known fact. It is so little known that it has almost been completely written out of the history books. […]
PHIT New Project
Hightower Campaign Poster The Hightower Years Farms on Fire The Texas Camelot PHIT is beginning a new oral history project. The project title is still a work in progress, but the subject matter is pretty solid. We are collecting participant stories on the impact that the Texas Department of Agriculture made on state and national policies during the years […]