Texas Ag Commissioner helps Texas Ranchers Rebuild after Hurricane Ike

On Saturday, April 25, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples led an effort to rebuild fences on ranches that were hit by Hurricane Ike more than six months ago. Through “Operation New Fences,” Commissioner Staples, state agency officials, local community leaders and volunteers distributed more than $100,000 worth of donated fence posts and barbed wire to nearly 100 ranchers in the Hurricane Ike surge zone in Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, Liberty and Orange counties. Each rancher received 250 fence posts and 10 rolls of barbed wire, enough to rebuild a half-mile of fence.

View a slideshow of Operation New Fences here:



“Seven months ago the skies were dark when Hurricane Ike ripped through this region, but today the true spirit of Texas is shining brightly,” Commissioner Staples said. “It is a tribute to our grand state to see these donors and volunteers helping their fellow Texans overcome adversity and build a new future one fence post at a time.“

Watch video of Operation New Fences here:



Commissioner Staples announced “Operation New Fences” last month after learning many ranchers were still leasing pastures for their livestock in other areas of the state because of a lack of resources to rebuild fences destroyed by Hurricane Ike. The Texas Department of Agriculture created a Web page specifically for this effort where producers could sign up for this one-time assistance.

“Operation New Fences” was a successful collaboration among TDA, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, M&J Fertilizer, Fellowship of Christian Farmers International, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Texas Animal Health Commission and many industry associations, including the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Independent Cattlemen’s Association.


More about Hurricane Ike’s Impact on Rural Southeast Texas

Prior to Hurricane Ike’s landfall on Sept. 12, 2008, approximately 30,000 cattle roamed in Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, Liberty and Orange counties. Today, only about 7,000 are able to graze the land because of the lack of fences and the high salinity content of the soil. In the days following Hurricane Ike’s landfall, TDA participated in an emergency relief effort called “Operation No Fences” that resulted in the delivery of more than 9,000 hay bales, 165 tons of feed and 400 water troughs for ranchers who were unable to feed their cattle.

Texas Ag Commissioner Surveys Livestock Damage Caused by Hurricane Ike

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples traveled to Southeast Texas on Wednesday, September 17 to meet with the men and women on the ground who are working tirelessly assisting in the massive hurricane recovery effort. After sitting down and hearing the needs of officials in Beaumont and Jefferson County, Commissioner Staples surveyed Jefferson and Chambers counties by air.


Don Gohmert from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Commissioner Staples saw an extremely broad path of massive destruction – from entire communities wiped away to highways and bridges either destroyed or covered with massive barges. Acres and acres of cropland and pastures had been swallowed by the salty surge, estimated at up to ten miles inland.


From the air, live cattle were wading through belly deep-water miles from high ground. Some cattle were huddled together on top of levies searching for a path back home but finding no safe place to turn.


The fences, barns and corrals that used to dot this region are now gone, cleared away by the massive wall of water and wind.




A long road of recovery is still ahead for Southeast Texas. You can help by calling AgriLife Extension Service at (979) 845-2604 or you can donate to AgriLife's "No Fences" Hurricane Ike Horse and Cattle Relief fund online. Monetary donations are needed to defray transportation costs associate with the rescue of horses and cattle, as well as the purchase of goods like feed and water troughs.

You can see more of the full-sized photos of the tour in a slideshow HERE. Or you can click on the photo below to start an embedded slideshow.