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Hank Gilbert started working on his family’s cattle ranch in northeast Texas when he was just 10 years old. It was there, on the fertile sandy-loam soils of his family’s ranch, that he learned the values of responsibility and accountability and developed a true appreciation of agriculture.
In 2006, in his first run for statewide office, Hank shocked political pundits by polling more votes than any other Democrat running statewide for a non-judicial office. He also carried more than 40 Texas counties Democrats hadn’t carried in decades.
Hank is the co-founder of Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF), an organization he co-founded in 2006 to help Texans fight for private property rights and against eminent domain abuses. Hank and TURF were instrumental in raising public awareness about problems associated with the Trans-Texas Corridor, eminent domain abuse and the conversion and privatization of existing roads to toll roads.
Hank holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M University, where he was the Student Council representative for Future Farmers of America. Upon graduation, Hank taught high school agriculture in East Texas for 13 years. After leaving teaching to work full time on his ranch and with his small business, Hank continued to work with East Texas youths involved in agriculture and helped found the East Texas Jr. Invitational Livestock Expo in Smith County. To date, this show has awarded over $75,000 in scholarships to its participants to support their educational pursuits.
Hank served as Director of the Texas Simmental/Simbrah Association and is the immediate past President of Walnut Grove Water Supply, a 2,500 member-owned cooperative. As its President, he cut operational expenses and reduced members’ water rates by 35%, while still making necessary improvements to the system. He also currently serves as President of the Pineywoods Sub-regional Planning Commission, a state-recognized 391-member commission formed to force state agencies, such as the Texas Department of Transportation, and federal agencies, like the EPA, to coordinate with local entities on projects that could have an adverse effect on their communities.
Hank and his wife, Karla, and their two sons, Peyton and Cody, own and operate Peyco’s Land and Cattle where they raise and market registered Simbrah cattle. Peyton and Cody exhibit their cattle at fairs and exhibitions throughout Texas and the southern U.S. with the FFA. Hank’s hope is the next generation of Texans, like Peyton and Cody, will grow up with a true appreciation of the legacy that is Texas agriculture.
Todd Staples Puts His Own Political Future Ahead of Texas Farmers
Republican Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples is a career politician whose personal political ambition has trumped the needs of Texas’ farmers and families. By using his position as Agriculture Commissioner as a stepping stone for future office, Staples has thoroughly neglected the critically important task of his job: sustaining and improving Texas’ farms and ensuring policies set by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) help move Texas forward.
Whether the issue is fuel regulations, food safety, or food programs for the elderly, Todd Staples has a clear track record of acting only in his own best interest.
One of Texas farmers’ biggest concerns is the cost of fuel. The TDA, which Staples oversees, is responsible for fuel regulation and standards. In July 2008, Staples announced the results of “Operation Spotlight” – an investigation that discovered that Petroleum Wholseale, L.P. – a fuel company with over 1,700 fuel pumps across Texas – was giving Texas consumers less fuel than they purchased. (Source: Texas Department of Agriculture).
In response to the investigation, State Representative Rep. Abel Herrero (D – Corpus Christ) authored House Bill 2925, which authorized the TDA to implement an inspection schedule and fuel quality regulatory program to expand its consumer protection efforts. (Source: HB 2925 Bill Analysis). The law gave Staples authority to broaden the pilot program, “Operation Spotlight,” into a statewide operation. However, instead of leading the way, Staples did nothing for months. Only recently, as he’s begun his re-election efforts, has Staples chosen to act on monitoring fuel standards. However, rather than taking real action, he’s delayed the implementation of HB 2925 with months’ worth of unnecessary research and reports that create red tape where immediate action is needed.
Another example of Staples only acting during election season involves his hollow promises about food safety. In his 2007 inaugural address, Staples discussed how he would focus on food safety during his current term in office. His record has failed to match his rhetoric, most notably when Staples certified a specific peanut plant that ended up being poisoned with salmonella:
The Texas plant had not been inspected for four years before last month. State officials blamed the plant for failing to register, but the plant had registered with the state’s organic certification program at the Texas Department of Agriculture. State officials could not explain Tuesday why the organic registry failed to alert health officials that the plant processed food and needed to be inspected. (Source: New York Times, After Tests, Peanut Plant in Texas Is Closed”).
Those two examples just scratch the surface of Staples’ failed record in office:
The policies set forth by the Agriculture Commissioner – whether they involve fuel standards and regulation, food safety, or future preparedness for Texas’ agricultural practices – are essential to our state’s future. What kind of policies – if any – will Staples put forth in his current campaign? If the past is any indication, Staples will do almost nothing of substance to help Texas’ farmers and families – but a lot of fluff to improve his own political career.
Texans cannot waste another four years on a career politician who puts himself before the people of our great state. With a committed, dedicated, and well-educated Agriculture Commissioner like Hank Gilbert in office, all Texans would be much better off.
I’d like to take a moment and tell you about an office you probably know little about, Commissioner of Agriculture. While you may not know it, this office is the first line of defense for consumers in Texas. The number one job is to make sure the food we consume is safe. It’s also a job I hope you’ll entrust to me this November and one that’s not really being done now. Please, allow me a few moments to explain.
If you, like many Texans, grow tomatoes or peppers in your garden every spring and summer, you know that produce is safe. You know what—if any—pesticides have been used on them, how and when they were harvested, and if they are free of disease.
But do the fruits, meats, and vegetables you buy at the supermarket offer the same safety and security? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Every year, hundreds of thousands—if not millions–of bushels of fruits and vegetables are imported into Texas from Latin and South America and other states. This produce goes directly to your local supermarket, usually with little or no inspection. Produce from other countries that’s been sprayed with pesticides banned in the United States (because they cause cancer) and unclean produce that could contain salmonella or other dangerous bacteria make their way from outside of Texas to your dinner table—or your child’s lunchbox—with no official inspection from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Why? Because Todd Staples and a succession of Republican officeholders who have used the Texas Department of Agriculture as a stepping-stone to higher office haven’t done the job they were hired to perform. It’s not that they’ve delegated responsibility; they’ve simply abdicated it. As a Texan, I find that wholly unacceptable.
As your Commissioner of Agriculture, I won’t let produce make it to your supermarket until it has undergone a thorough inspection to ensure it is safe and free of bacteria like salmonella or cancer-causing pesticides. The Texas Department of Agriculture owes it to Texans to make sure our food supply is safe for consumption and I intend to put clean, safe food back on your plates.