Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about primary candidates, The Texas Tribune is sharing background information on top candidates. In particularly crowded races, we focused on candidates who have political experience or prominence. For a full list of the candidates running in this race view our primary ballot page. For more information on the primaries and the voting process, check out our voter guide here.

About this seat: The Texas Agriculture Commissioner is the chief advocate for Texas’s agriculture industry. Under the commissioner’s purview, the Texas Department of Agriculture regulates the state’s agriculture industry, including cattle, grain, plants, pesticides, hemp and organic operations. The department provides agribusiness support, promotes Texas products and advocates for policies at the state and federal level that help farmers and ranchers. It also administers the National School Lunch Program to public schools. The department works on economic development in rural areas and provides disaster relief to farmers. The department also ensures that price scanners and scales are all accurate to ensure consumers are paying an accurate price for these items when they purchase them.

What’s at stake: Agriculture is the second largest industry in the state and Texas is home to more than 230,000 farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2024, it was the 6th largest state exporter of agricultural products. Farmers and ranchers are on the frontlines of economic pressures, the effects of climate change, and labor and supply chain disruptions and it’s the responsibility of the state agriculture commissioner to regulate farmers from a consumer protection standpoint, while providing support and funding to farms that are economic engines in rural areas of the state.

Candidates at a Glance:

Experience:

• First elected agriculture commissioner in 2014, and reelected twice in 2018 and 2022

• 12 years in the Texas House of Representatives

• Graduate of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, where he lives and owns a tree nursery

• Breeds horses and is a rodeo cowboy

Political ideology:  Miller is known as a staunch MAGA conservative with a fiery personality and a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump.  He is a Christian who often rails against Islam and leftist politics on social media. He’s against diversity, equity and inclusion policies and in 2023, he ordered employees to dress “in a manner consistent with their biological gender,” a move that was viewed as anti-transgender.  

Policy stances:

• Increasing water security in Texas

• Defending agriculture from invasive pests and disease

• Enhancing local food pride through the agency’s Go Texan brand program

• Ensure farm and ranchland is not affected by the expansion of data centers in Texas

• Supports legalization of marijuana for medical purposes

In the news:

Endorsements:

• Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian

• Ted Nugent, a guitarist and singer

How to contact or learn more:
campaign@sidmiller.com
6407 S US Hwy 377
Stephenville, TX 76401

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💰 Campaign finance:

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Houston furniture store owner Mattress Mack – $10,000
• Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Republican from Midland and family – $13,000
• The Saulsbury Family, owners of Saulsbury Industries oil and gas company in Odessa and former donors of Sid Miller’s campaign – $25,000

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Experience:

• Texan business and ranch owner

• Served for six years in the U.S. Naval Reserve before he graduated from Texas State University

• He and his wife founded a honey company called Nature Nate’s, which became famous for its raw and unfiltered honey. He sold the company in 2021 and resigned as CEO in 2024 to run for agriculture commissioner.

• Previously worked as communications director for E3 Partners, an evangelist ministry organization that establishes new Christian congregations around the world

Political ideology: Sheets is a conservative Christian and self-declared member of the MAHA (Make American Healthy Again) movement, which was inspired by Trump administration Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Nature Nate’s Honey emphasized testing to ensure the honey didn’t contain pesticides or herbicides, and Sheets has said his experience leading the company shaped his views on healthy eating.

Policy stances:

• Helping Texas farmers grow and produce clean and healthy food at home and in the state’s public schools

• Boost job opportunities in the agriculture industry in rural areas of the state

• Work with the Legislature to ensure Texas has the power to investigate agro terrorists who might spread pathogens that could damage state agriculture production

In the news:

Endorsements:

• Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Cattlefeeders Association

• Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a Republican from Pennsylvania

How to contact or learn more:
campaign@natesheets.com

💰 Campaign finance:

💰 Major donors this cycle:

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• Jim Hightower, former Texas Agriculture Commissioner from 1983 to 1991 – $1,000

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Experience:

• Grew up working on his family’s ranch in Lampasas

• Fair trade organizer for the Trade Justice Education Fund, a left-leaning non-profit that promotes awareness of the impact of trade on public health and the environment.

Political ideology: Tucker spent his early career working as a Democratic political campaign organizer. He is an active member of the Texas Democrats and a member of the Texas Progressive Caucus.

Policy stances:

• Preserving family farms

• Lowering the cost of food and removing chemicals from food

• Stop the spread of microplastics and regulate dangerous chemicals like PFAS

• Protect Texas from the growth of data centers across the state and “bust monopolies”

Endorsements:

• U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland 

• Many Democratic state representatives

How to contact or learn more:
info@claytontuckertx.com
PO Box 1059
Lampasas, TX 76550

Disclosure: Texas Cattle Feeders Association and Texas Tech University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas – Two bald eagle chicks were born this week at the John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center in North Texas, hatching amid a winter storm as their parents sheltered the nest from rain, cold and high winds.

What we know:

The eaglets hatched from eggs laid on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, according to the wetlands center. The hatching came as a winter storm moved through the area, dumping rain and ushering in freezing temperatures. The nest is located near Combine, Texas, about 30 minutes southeast of Dallas. 

Executive Director of the John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center, Kayleigh Bucur, said staff could do little more than observe the bald eagles. It has become a focal point for eagle watchers across the region as staff members and thousands of online viewers have been closely monitoring the nest through a YouTube live-stream, as the incubation period reached its final days.

The female eagle, referred to as Mom, is noticeably larger than the male, referred to as Dad. As Mom handled most of the incubation duties, Dad hunted and brought food back to the nest. Bucur tells The Post that they do not name the baby eagles but number them based on the number they were hatched. The two newborns are JBS 24 and JBS 25.

With the two new hatchlings, the John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center has now recorded 25 eaglets since monitoring began in 2014. Of those, 20 have successfully fledged. 

Courtesy: John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center

Dig deeper:

On Jan. 25, 2026, shortly after the birth of JBS 24, Dad flies in to meet his new offspring and check on the family and Mom finally allows him to take charge and leaves to grab a meal and get some rest. Mom has been on the nest since early Friday morning, steadfast in the frightful, frigid weather. 

Mom and Dad’s second chick hatched in the early morning of Jan. 26. Mom had her attempts at the first feeding of both chicks. 

JBS 25 is described to still have a few damp feathers from hatching and generally has its back to the camera in the video. JBS 24 is described as a bit more mobile, it can sit up and is starting to have some control of its bobbing head. 

Mom manages to connect JBS 24 with a little food, while JBS 25 still has plenty of nutrients from absorbing the egg yolk during the hatching process. 

It won’t be long before the chick can grab at the morsels Mom offers, according to the center.

During the process of hatching, the chicks absorb the nutritious egg yolk and can go without being fed for a day or two. The chicks will rest and dry off after hatching and will sit up and chirp to the parents when they’re ready for their first meal outside the shell. 

What they’re saying:

“We’ve been on what we call ‘PIP watch,’” said Bucur. “That’s when the chick starts breaking into the air sac inside the egg and mom can actually hear chirping. From there, hatching is entirely up to the chick.”

Bucur described the organization’s inability to intervene with the birth of the baby eagles.

“They’re federally protected, and truly, you just have to trust the eagles. They’re seasoned parents, and they know what they’re doing.”

Winter Storm Warning, Eagle Egg Watch | The Post

We’re in the final hours to prepare for this weekend’s winter storm, as multiple counties in North Texas are under a winter storm warning. Meanwhile, two bald eagles are expected to welcome babies during the winter storm. A livestream is available to watch the eggs hatch.

The backstory:

The nest itself has a unique history, originally built on an energized electrical tower that supplied power to Dallas. In 2014, utility crews and wildlife agencies worked together to relocate the nest without disturbing it, lifting it by crane and securing it to a replica tower about a quarter mile away. That partnership included Mica Steelworks, The Chapman Group, Oncor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and several private contractors. The replica tower still stands about 100 feet tall.

Bald eagles’ mate for life, and this same pair has returned year after year. Since the relocation, the new nest has grown to nearly 700 pounds and spans about nine feet across.

What’s next:

The chicks are expected to remain in the nest for several weeks and could begin attempting flight by April.

The John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center offers public programs, eagle walks and live-stream access to the nest, allowing visitors to follow the young birds’ progress as they grow.

Evan’s Foodmart Manager Mirza Hussain, affectionately known as Faris, rescued one of his regular customers from the freezing cold on Saturday morning.

“It was just it was so intense because a guy came inside like, ‘Hey man, she’s across the street frozen,’” Hussain said.

Hussain, who said he’s worked at the store for five years, knows all of his customers. He told NBC 5 that a woman named Bobby spent the night outside overnight on Saturday as the winter storm moved in, because she had nowhere to go.

“My hands were shivering [when I went outside to get her], that just instantly got to me, and I was like, what is she going through?” Hussain said.

Bobby is experiencing homelessness, according to Hussain.

Security video outside of the store captured him carrying her from the cold and into the store. Hussain called Forth Worth police and medics arrived shortly after to take Bobby to the hospital.

“She was already screaming like, ‘Oh, you saved my life!,” Hussain said.

In Southwest Fort Worth, near the small convenience store, Hussain said there are many people experiencing homelessness.

“If you drive around this block alone, you’ll see about 10, 15 people maybe just outside, blankets covered and everything because they don’t have a place to go,” he said.

As snow and ice lie coated on roads and sidewalks outside the food mart, it’s a chilling reminder for Hussain that some of his customers might still be in the thick of it.

“Everybody that you see on the streets has a backstory and as to why they ended up on the streets,” Hussain said. “Just be kind to everybody.”

The City of Fort Worth has overnight emergency shelters for people who need a place to go.

• Union Gospel Mission, 1321 E. Lancaster Ave.
• Presbyterian Night Shelter, 2400 Cypress St.
• Families should go to: The Salvation Army Mabee Center, 1855 E. Lancaster Ave.