By Darren Turley
TAD Executive Director
Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and a number of legislators gathered on the campus of Texas Tech University earlier this month at an event to honor House Speaker Dustin Burrows as the second special legislative session came to an end.
Burrows, whose HD 83 includes Lubbock and all or part of 11 counties, is a Texas Tech graduate. The event not only was a great show of support for Burrows, it a recognition of the importance of the High Plains to the state of Texas. There is a vast difference in the issues affecting the agricultural center of Texas versus the state’s urban sprawls that continue to grow.
Burrows has long been a great leader for Lubbock and, now as the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, he is the most powerful voice for the High Plains region.
Former Comptroller Glenn Hegar has often stated that the Texas economy is divided three ways between oil and gas, manufacturing and agriculture. The High Plains drives Texas agriculture production, so the importance of this region to the state can not be denied. And the Texas dairy industry is a major part of the agriculture sector, making Texas the third largest milk producing state in the nation. Dairy contributes more than $53 billion to the state’s economy, and this impact continues to grow with new milk processing plants coming online this year.
The Texas Association of Dairymen has supported Burrows since his first term in the House of Representatives in 2015. TAD continually works to develop relationships with legislators from across the state. With the legislative special sessions over, at least for now, this fall TAD will turn its attention to meeting one-on-one with as many of the 181 legislators as possible to build relationships and to educate them on our dairy industry and what we need to continue to thrive.
