OPINION: BUILDING A FARM FRESH GENERATION

Every October, as the leaves start to turn and Texans get ready for cooler weather, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) kicks off one of my favorite traditions, the Texas Farm Fresh Challenge. This isn’t your everyday program; it’s a movement to connect the hardworking farmers and ranchers of this great state with our children, our schools, and our childcare centers.

I’ve always believed that a Texas child ought to cultivate a healthy appetite for fresh local food from a local farm or ranch. Food is just better when you know it was grown in the same soil where you live, harvested by the hands of neighbors who care about feeding families. That’s why the Farm Fresh Challenge is so important. Every October, schools and childcare centers step up to the plate to show kids that eating local is not only healthier, it’s also a celebration of Texas pride.

The Challenge is simple but powerful: serve Texas products, teach children about local agriculture, and share those efforts with your community. The results speak for themselves: when kids bite into Texas fruit, taste a homegrown tomato, or learn that the beef in their taco came from a ranch just a few counties away, something clicks. They connect food to people, and people to the land.

Our child nutrition professionals are often unsung heroes in this story. They take the recipes, the training, and the resources provided by TDA and turn them into lessons that stick with them for a lifetime. With our Farm Fresh recipes, Success Guide, flashcards, and coloring sheets, we make it easy for schools to go above and beyond. And with our promotional stickers, buttons, and social media toolkit, we help them spread the excitement to parents and communities. This isn’t just about filling hungry stomachs every day; it’s about filling hearts with gratitude for the farmers and ranchers who put food on the table.

The Farm Fresh Challenge benefits students, and it is also a shot in the arm for Texas agriculture. Every time a school or childcare center buys fresh local produce, dairy, meat, or grain from a local producer, they’re investing in rural Texas. They’re supporting the 239 producers in our Farm Fresh Network who are ready to supply schools with the best products you’ll find anywhere in the world.

More than one billion meals are served annually in Texas through programs like the National School Lunch Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. If even a fraction of those meals is sourced from Texas farmers and ranchers, the impact is staggering. That’s real money flowing back into our communities, helping families stay on the land, preserving our way of life, and strengthening the backbone of our state’s economy.

I’m proud to say that Texas leads the way in farm-to-school programs. But we can’t do it alone. Parents, teachers, and community leaders need to champion this effort. Share the stories you see on social media, visit your local farmers market, and ask your schools if they’re taking part in the Challenge.  A healthier future for our kids is counting on us.

As Texas Agriculture Commissioner, I’ll keep fighting to make sure our children know where their food comes from and that our producers have every opportunity to supply it. Because at the end of the day, food security starts at home. And there’s nothing more secure than knowing your child’s lunch came from a Texas farm, not a shipping container from overseas.

This is about culture and passing down the values of hard work, stewardship, and gratitude. It’s about teaching kids that the men and women who grow our food deserve respect and support. And it’s about ensuring that the next generation not only eats healthier but also understands the proud tradition of Texas agriculture. It’s about leading the national charge in making America healthy again.

So, let’s rise to the challenge together. Let’s support our local farmers and ranchers, celebrate our schools, and build a healthier, Farm Fresh Generation, right here in the Lone Star State.