Republican Nate Sheets, Democrat Clayton Tucker and Libertarian Austin Kelly are competing to lead an agency responsible for supporting Texas farmers, protecting consumers and shaping the future of the state's agricultural industry.
Texas voters will choose a new agriculture commissioner in November, with three candidates offering different visions for one of the state's most important industries.
Republican Nate Sheets, Democrat Clayton Tucker and Libertarian Austin R. Kelly are competing to lead the Texas Department of Agriculture, an agency whose responsibilities extend well beyond farms and ranches.
The race comes after Sheets defeated three-term incumbent Sid Miller in the Republican primary, ending Miller's bid for another term. Tucker secured the Democratic nomination without opposition, while Kelly is representing the Libertarian Party.
Although the agriculture commissioner race rarely receives the attention given to contests for governor or the U.S. Senate, the outcome could have significant consequences for Texas farmers, ranchers, rural communities and consumers.
From rising production costs and water shortages to food safety and the rapid expansion of data centers, the candidates are offering different approaches to some of the biggest challenges facing Texas agriculture.
Here's what voters should know before heading to the polls.
What does the Texas agriculture commissioner do?
The Texas agriculture commissioner oversees the Texas Department of Agriculture, which regulates agricultural operations, promotes Texas-grown products and supports farmers and ranchers across the state.
The department's responsibilities include overseeing pesticides, hemp production, organic operations and agricultural business development. It also helps promote rural economic growth and administers programs that provide assistance following natural disasters.
One of its most visible responsibilities is administering the National School Lunch Program in Texas public schools, helping ensure students have access to meals that meet federal nutrition requirements.
The agency also oversees consumer protection programs involving commercial scales and price scanners, helping ensure Texans receive accurate measurements and prices when purchasing products.
Rural health is another important part of the job. The department houses the State Office of Rural Health and administers the AgriStress Helpline, which provides mental health resources for agricultural workers and rural communities.
The commissioner also serves as a prominent advocate for Texas agriculture when state lawmakers and federal officials consider policies affecting farmers, ranchers and food producers.
Why the 2026 election matters
Agriculture is Texas' second-largest industry, and the state is home to more than 230,000 farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Texas was also the nation's sixth-largest agricultural exporter in 2024, demonstrating the industry's importance to both the state economy and international markets.
But farmers and ranchers are facing mounting pressures.
Higher transportation costs, expensive equipment, labor shortages, water availability and supply chain disruptions have made agricultural production increasingly challenging. Drought and extreme weather continue to threaten crops, livestock and rural livelihoods.
Meanwhile, expanding industrial development, including data centers, has raised new questions about competition for water, electricity and agricultural land.
The next commissioner will have to balance government oversight with efforts to keep farms profitable, protect consumers and strengthen rural economies.
Nate Sheets: Republican candidate
Republican Nate Sheets enters the general election after defeating incumbent Sid Miller in the GOP primary.
Sheets is a businessman and ranch owner best known for helping build Nature Nate's, a company recognized for its raw and unfiltered honey.
He and his wife founded the business, which became a nationally recognized honey brand. Sheets sold the company in 2021 and stepped down as CEO in 2024 to pursue his campaign for agriculture commissioner.
Before entering the business world, Sheets served six years in the U.S. Naval Reserve and graduated from Texas State University. He also previously worked as communications director for E3 Partners, a Christian evangelism organization.
Sheets describes himself as a conservative Christian and identifies with the Make America Healthy Again movement, commonly known as MAHA.
The movement, associated with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., emphasizes healthier food, nutrition and concerns about chemicals in the food supply.
Sheets has connected those priorities to his experience in the honey business, where product testing focused on identifying potential pesticide and herbicide contamination.
Where Sheets stands on major issues
Food quality and agricultural production are central themes of Sheets' campaign.
He wants Texas farmers to produce more healthy food for consumers, including meals served in public schools. His approach emphasizes connecting agricultural production with better nutrition and expanding opportunities for Texas-grown products.
Sheets also wants to establish an agricultural marketplace that would connect consumers directly with local farmers, producers and manufacturers.
Rural economic development is another priority. He has proposed reducing transportation costs for farmers and creating additional employment opportunities in agricultural communities.
On data centers, Sheets has taken a position that could put him at odds with companies seeking to expand across Texas.
He wants data center operators to contribute financially to water and agriculture-related funds while eliminating preferential tax breaks and subsidies for the industry.
Sheets also supports stronger agricultural biosecurity measures. He wants lawmakers to ensure Texas has the authority to investigate potential acts of agroterrorism, including the intentional spread of pathogens that could damage crops or livestock.
On immigration and employment, Sheets supports requiring the federal E-Verify system and advocates state legislation intended to verify workers' citizenship status.
Sheets' campaign finances
Sheets reported raising approximately $1.9 million between January 1 and June 30, with $104,510 in cash remaining at the end of that reporting period.
His largest reported contributors included businessman Jim Moyer, the Texas Republican Leadership Fund, Texans for Greg Abbott, the Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND and Midland investor Douglas Scharbauer.
His fundraising demonstrates substantial financial support from Republican political organizations and agricultural interests.
Clayton Tucker: Democratic candidate
Democrat Clayton Tucker is campaigning on a platform focused on protecting family farms, reducing food costs and challenging corporate influence over Texas agriculture.
Tucker grew up working on his family's ranch in Lampasas, giving him firsthand experience with rural life and agricultural operations.
His professional background includes work as a water and agriculture researcher for the National Science Foundation and as a fair trade organizer for the Trade Justice Education Fund.
He also serves as secretary of the Texas Farmers Union, an organization representing agricultural producers and rural interests.
Tucker has worked as a kindergarten teacher and political campaign organizer. He is active in Democratic politics and is associated with the Texas Progressive Caucus.
His campaign combines traditional agricultural concerns with progressive proposals involving environmental protection, food affordability and economic opportunities for smaller producers.
Where Tucker stands on major issues
One of Tucker's central priorities is preserving family farms and making agriculture financially sustainable for smaller producers.
He wants to rebuild agricultural cooperatives, arguing that farmers working together can reduce operating expenses, improve profitability and help make food more affordable.
Tucker also wants to encourage younger Texans to enter agriculture by addressing financial barriers that make it difficult to establish successful farming operations.
Environmental protection is another major component of his platform.
He supports stronger efforts to address microplastics and regulate potentially dangerous chemicals, including PFAS, often called forever chemicals.
Tucker also supports expanding hemp production, which he believes could create valuable new opportunities for Texas farmers.
Like Sheets, Tucker has expressed concern about the expansion of data centers, particularly their potential impact on water and other resources.
He wants greater public access to information about data center resource consumption and has proposed creating Agricultural Development Districts that would give local communities additional tools to respond to industrial development.
Tucker also supports maintaining and expanding the AgriStress program, recognizing the mental health challenges facing farmers, ranchers and rural residents.
Tucker's campaign finances
Tucker reported raising $264,673 between January 1 and June 30, with $162,456 in cash on hand at the end of June.
His largest reported contributor was musician Don Henley, who donated $50,000.
Other contributors included Nancy P. Sanders, the James Talarico campaign, Heather Ball and Houston physician and business leader Farrukh Shamsi.
Although Tucker raised substantially less than Sheets during the reporting period, he ended June with more cash available.
Austin R. Kelly: Libertarian candidate
Libertarian Austin R. Kelly is offering voters a smaller-government alternative centered on property rights, fewer regulations and reduced government spending.
Kelly was born and raised in Comanche County and has a background in natural resource management, agriculture and education.
He owns ARK Ecological Consulting, where he works as a natural resource management consultant.
Kelly previously served as a lecturer at Texas A&M University, teaching courses involving rangeland management, botany and ecology.
His agricultural experience also includes raising and showing livestock, working on a small farm and operating a landscaping business.
Kelly approaches agricultural policy through a Libertarian philosophy emphasizing individual freedom, private property and limited government intervention.
Where Kelly stands on major issues
Kelly wants to eliminate regulations he believes unnecessarily burden farmers, ranchers and small agricultural businesses.
His proposals include reducing restrictions affecting hemp production, cottage food businesses, local meat processors and small-scale agricultural producers.
He also supports eliminating agricultural licensing requirements that he considers unnecessary.
Property rights are another major priority.
Kelly opposes warrantless government inspections and wants stronger protections against eminent domain being used for government or private development projects.
He also supports protecting agricultural landowners from certain nuisance lawsuits and local zoning restrictions.
On government spending, Kelly proposes auditing the Texas Department of Agriculture to identify unnecessary expenses and reduce fees charged to agricultural producers.
His environmental priorities include compiling and publishing scientific research on water management and brush control practices.
Kelly also supports investing in agricultural biosecurity monitoring to help protect the state's food production systems.
Kelly's campaign finances
Kelly reported raising $494 between January 1 and June 30, with no cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
His largest reported contribution was a $394 in-kind donation from the Libertarian Booster PAC.
His campaign is operating with substantially fewer financial resources than either major-party candidate.
Where the candidates agree and disagree
Despite their political differences, all three candidates recognize that Texas agriculture faces serious economic challenges.
Sheets and Tucker share concerns about data center expansion and its impact on agricultural resources, although they propose different solutions.
Sheets favors ending preferential subsidies and requiring financial contributions to water and agricultural funds. Tucker emphasizes public transparency and giving local communities more power to challenge development.
Food quality is another area of overlap.
Sheets wants to increase access to healthy, Texas-produced food, while Tucker emphasizes reducing food costs, limiting chemical exposure and strengthening agricultural cooperatives.
Kelly's approach differs from both candidates by placing greater emphasis on removing government restrictions and allowing producers to make their own business decisions.
Their positions also reveal differences over the role of government.
Sheets supports targeted government action involving agricultural security, employment verification and economic development. Tucker favors stronger environmental protections and programs supporting family farms. Kelly generally advocates reducing regulations, licensing requirements and agency spending.
What Texas voters should consider
The next agriculture commissioner will inherit an industry facing significant economic and environmental uncertainty.
For voters in the Texas Panhandle, where cattle production, farming and agribusiness are major economic drivers, the office carries particular importance.
Water availability, transportation expenses, livestock health, agricultural land use and rural economic development all have direct consequences for communities across the High Plains.
The three candidates offer different priorities and approaches, giving voters a choice over how aggressively the state should regulate agriculture, support producers and respond to emerging challenges.
