GO TEXAN: Supporting Texas Businesses & Families

For nearly three decades, the GO TEXAN program has helped promote Texas products and services across the Lone Star State and around the world. Created in 1999 by the Texas Legislature’s House Bill 2719, the GO TEXAN program is an initiative of the Texas Department of Agriculture designed to identify and support Texas-based businesses while connecting them with new customers and markets. From developing new sales opportunities to encouraging consumers to look for the iconic GO TEXAN mark when making purchases, the program promotes diverse, quality products and services that are Texas-made and Texas-proud.

Why should this matter to Texans? Texas agriculture is the starting point of a much larger network, known as the food and fiber system, which extends beyond farming or ranching to include the processing, manufacturing, and distribution of products. A major contributor to our state's economy, this complete system begins with crops, livestock, hides, aquaculture (e.g., farmed fish), and plant and animal fibers, which then connects to such industries as manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, retail, restaurants, and the finance, insurance, and real estate (F.I.R.E.) sectors. According to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, the Texas food and fiber system contributed a staggering $186 billion to the Texas economy in 2021 alone, representing approximately 9.1 percent of Texas GDP. GO TEXAN helps consumers recognize the diverse businesses participating in this important economic ecosystem and gives shoppers confidence that these products and services meet the program's Texas-based requirements.

However, GO TEXAN is about much more than just economic development and entrepreneurship. Explains Sid Miller, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, “Every time consumers choose GO TEXAN products and services, they support Texas jobs and Texas families.” When we purchase a product or service bearing the GO TEXAN mark, we are supporting Texas businesses and helping to keep more of our hard-earned dollars circulating within the Lone Star State. Whether we are shopping at a grocery store, visiting a farmers’ market, eating at a restaurant, or making a purchase from a Texas retailer, we are not just supporting Texas businesses but the Texas families that work to grow, process, ship, and sell these wonderful products and services. In that sense, GO TEXAN is much more than a program—it is much more than a logo. It is a reminder that our everyday purchasing decisions can help strengthen the Texas economy, support Texas communities, and improve the quality of life for Texas families.

If you would like to learn more about the GO TEXAN program, please click on the following link: GOTEXAN.org.

About the Author

Calvin Pacleb is a consultant with Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized talent solutions firm. His work within Robert Half’s consulting practice focuses on financial systems and operations in the private equity industry. Additionally, Calvin is the founder of The Catholic Action Network, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit dedicated to economic development, entrepreneurship, and investment as pathways out of poverty. The Catholic Action Network is a proud GO TEXAN associate partner.