Nate Sheets promised to clean house at the Texas Department of Agriculture on Wednesday after he ousted Commissioner Sid Miller in the Republican primary.
“We’re going to fire every one of the cancerous people that were pro-Sid and clean house,” Sheets said in an interview with The Texas Tribune. “We’re going to get a culture focused on excellence and service, where farmers, ranching and clean food are at the center.”
Sheets’ victory, aided by Gov. Greg Abbott and influential agriculture industry groups, was a rare rebuke of a sitting Republican statewide official.
Before Sheets can begin making changes at the department, he must defeat Democrat Clayton Tucker in November — a likely outcome as no Democrat has won state office in three decades.
Miller’s three terms as the state’s top agriculture official have been marked by multiple controversies and scandals that opened the doors for his detractors to voice their discontent. For example in his second term his close political aide was indicted for commercial bribery and theft for trying to sell hemp licenses regulated by Miller’s agency. After Smith pleaded guilty to commercial bribery, Miller installed him as chief of staff of the agency.
Abbott said Miller has been an “utter failure” and endorsed Sheets, citing Miller’s “tolerance for criminality.”
Last year, The Texas Tribune reported that a friend of Miller told police that Miller asked him to dispose of marijuana because he worried he was being investigated by federal drug authorities.
Miller conceded to Sheets Wednesday afternoon, saying that now is the time to come together to protect Texas agriculture.
“While the results are not what we hoped and prayed for, I am deeply grateful for the support, prayers, and hard work of Texans across this great state who have stood with me over the years,” Miller said.
Sheets served for six years in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He then launched a honey business and owns a ranch. He also previously worked for an evangelist ministry that establishes new Christian congregations around the world.
“I want to make an impact in people’s lives and serve other people,” Sheets said. “And ultimately, I want to do it because I want them to see how much God loves them.”
Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening said Texas needs a strong leader like Sheets in this role to serve Texans with integrity.
“He is committed to working hand-in-hand with hardworking producers for the betterment of agriculture and the people of Texas,” Boeing said. “He shares agriculture’s values, understands its challenges and will be a strong partner for Texas farmers and ranchers across the state.”
Key to his goals as agriculture commissioner will be to address challenges in accessing healthy, clean food and fixing Texas’ school lunch program.
Sheets said he hopes to deregulate certain aspects of agriculture and lower fees for farmers and ranchers, which were increased by Miller in his first term. Then, he’ll turn his attention to revamping the Go Texan program, which is supposed to showcase local Texas businesses and connect them with customers.
“There’s a ton of other stuff to do — obviously — there’s water, the New World Screwworm Fly, the Pasture Mealybug,” Sheets said.
Sheets said he intends to consult with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose agency has been critical of Miller’s handling of the screwworm outbreak, as well as experts in the state.
He also plans to get out into the rural communities where Miller won. His campaign strategy focused on getting to those more densely populated areas where he knew he could reach more people in one go, thus building a stronger voter base.
And in the end, he had the strongest showing near bigger cities including in North Texas, and around Harris and Bexar counties, while Miller swept the rural parts of the state.
Now, he wants to address the concerns of rural Texans and create a game plan that will support, especially rural farmers, return to profitability.
“Because this, this is about all those people who live in all those rural areas all throughout Texas, as well as everybody else who just eats food,” Sheet said.
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