TDA's marketing coordinators in Austin and regional filed marketing staff help build recognition for the GO TEXAN brand and promote GO TEXAN members through a wide variety of activities, including:

• Coordinating GO TEXAN promotions at retail stores, festivals and special events across the state.

• Establishing a strong Texas presence at trade shows. GO TEXAN signs, lights, promotional materials and featured activities help draw crowds for the Texas companies exhibiting at the shows.

• Gaining attention for the GO TEXAN brand in the media through press releases, articles and story ideas.

• Drawing consumers to GO TEXAN products using special items such as recipe cards, horticulture brochures, fiber directories and winery maps.

The GO TEXAN Products Program is divided into the following categories:

Fiber
Cotton, wool, mohair, leather, alpaca, suede and more.
Contact: Mary York

Food
From salsa to sausage, ice cream to refried beans, and sweets to smoked meats.
Contact: Sarah Riggins

Horticulture, Forestry and Produce
From plants, flowers and trees to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Contact: Richard De Los Santos

Livestock
Marketing Texas livestock and livestock genetics to buyers around the globe.
Contact: Amanda Lyles

Shrimp
Fresh from the Gulf
Contact: Toni King

Wine
Toast a rising star
Contact: Bobby Champion Jr.

GO TEXAN also includes international marketing staff who help businesses promote their Texas products to a worldwide audience.

Suffice it to say that food is a big industry in Texas. And Food Marketing is a big deal at the Texas Department of Agriculture.

TDA's Food Marketing program along with regional field marketing staff helps build recognition for GO TEXAN and Texas foods through a wide variety of activities, including:

• Coordinating GO TEXAN promotions at retail grocery stores, food fairs and festivals across the state. These events feature samplings and demonstrations of Texas foods and are promoted through press releases, GO TEXAN signs and promotional materials.
• Establishing a strong Texas presence at state, national and international trade shows through the GO TEXAN Pavilion. GO TEXAN signs, lights, promotional materials and special activities help draw crowds for the Texas companies exhibiting in the Pavilion.
• Spotlighting Texas foods through regular mail-outs to food editors at newspapers across the state with articles, recipes and story ideas for Texas products.
• Linking buyers interested in Texas food products with the GO TEXAN members that produce them.
• Coordinating GO TEXAN food fairs, seminars and workshops for school food service buyers at school districts across the state to encourage and increase the purchase of Texas foods.

For more information on TDA's Food Marketing program and promotional opportunities, contact Sarah Riggins, state marketing coordinator for food, at (512) 475-1663 or sarah.riggins@agr.state.tx.us. For information on GO TEXAN food promotions in your area, contact your local TDA regional marketing office.

Texas fiber market bragging rights don't stop there. Texas ranchers produce about 20 percent of the U.S. wool clip and more than 90 percent of domestic mohair, while Texas farmers produced about 30 percent of the nation's cotton. Texas is the leader in organic cotton production, and is one of only four states that supply this commodity to the rapidly expanding market for organically produced fiber. Texas also produces one third of the nation's cattle hides, which are made into a variety of leather products.

The Texas Department of Agriculture helps market and promote this vital industry through its Fiber Marketing program, which is dedicated to the following activities:

• Linking buyers interested in Texas fiber products with the GO TEXAN members that produce them.
• Establishing a strong Texas presence at state, national and international markets and trade shows with TDA booths that provide information on Texas fiber producers and their products.
• Providing useful resources for producers and buyers to increase purchases of Texas fiber, including the Wool and Mohair Directory and the Texas Organic Guide.
• Coordinating GO TEXAN fiber promotions at openings and other exclusive events, such as the Cowgirl Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the Miss Rodeo Queen Pageant.
• Developing and disseminating promotional materials such as GO TEXAN magnets, leather luggage tags, hang tags and other items designed to spotlight Texas natural fibers.

For more information on TDA's Fiber Marketing program and promotional opportunities, contact Mary York, state marketing coordinator for fiber, at (512) 463-8289 or mary.york@agr.state.tx.us.

Texas is also home to a thriving forestry industry that provides wood and paper products vital to the Texas economy and the everyday lives of consumers across the nation. Texas timber has a value of more than $800 million a year.

The Texas Department of Agriculture helps market and promote these two vital industries through its Horticulture and Forestry Marketing program. The program is an integral part of TDA's GO TEXAN campaign spotlighting Texas agricultural products. TDA's Horticulture and Forestry Marketing program helps promote Texas horticultural and forestry producers in a number of ways, including:

• GO TEXAN promotions at Texas nurseries, garden centers and retailers, encouraging shoppers to pick Texas first by identifying Texas-grown selections.
• TDA booths at trade shows, special events and gardening festivals, providing information on Texas growers and their products.
• Promotional materials such as GO TEXAN seed packets, bookmarks, posters, plant tags and flower vases.
• Published articles and columns on Texas-grown plants, flowers, trees, shrubs and grasses.
• Educational and marketing materials such as manuals, directories, guides and brochures.

For more information on TDA's Horticulture and Forestry Marketing program, contact Richard De Los Santos, state marketing coordinator for horticulture and forestry at (512) 463-7472 or richard.delossantos@tda.state.tx.us.

Livestock buyers know that when seeking quality, variety and abundance, Texas is the place to be. Texas is also ideally situated for the export of livestock, semen and embryos. With easy access to all of Latin America via the Mexican border, as well as an export facility at Houston Inter-Continental airport that easily services Asian markets, Texas offers buyers excellent distribution channels.

With over 30 years' experience, TDA's Livestock Marketing program is the longest running program of its kind in the United States. No matter what type of Texas livestock you are selling or searching for, TDA's Livestock Marketing staff is available to help you find what you need. Providing exceptional personal assistance, TDA's bilingual livestock marketing specialists are a source of referrals and information, and can even assist in coordinating buying trips for ranchers and others in the market for purebred commercial livestock genetics. TDA livestock marketing specialists can do everything from arranging itineraries and meeting buyers at the airport to escorting them to Texas ranches, serving as guides and translators.

TDA's Livestock Marketing specialists also offer vital industry knowledge and provide you with information and support. For more information on TDA's Livestock Marketing efforts, contact Amanda Lyles, (512) 463-7560, amanda.lyles@tda.state.tx.us.