Standing Up for Farmers and Ranchers

As a seventh-generation Central Texan, I don’t just represent rural Texas—I live it. I was raised on the values that come from working the land, keeping your word, and fighting for what matters. I live on a farm that has been in our family since the late 1800s. Agriculture isn’t just a business—it’s a way of life.

That’s why I’ve made it my mission in the Texas House to fight for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. Because if we don’t stand up for them, who will?

Urban lawmakers now outnumber rural ones nearly three to one in the Legislature. But I’ve never backed down from standing up for the people too often overlooked at the Capitol.

This session, when a bill in the Texas House threatened to require warning labels on widely used herbicides like atrazine and glyphosate, I co-authored the amendment to remove them. The debate revealed just how out of touch—or even outright anti-farm—some lawmakers have become.

The Texas Farm Bureau praised our efforts to stop this harmful language from becoming law, and I’ll never apologize for putting Texas agriculture first.

I also proudly cosponsored Senate Bill 17, a long-overdue measure to block hostile foreign entities—including the Chinese Communist Party—from buying Texas farmland and infrastructure. Texas has over five million acres of foreign-owned land, the most of any state. That’s a threat to our food supply and sovereignty when it’s in the wrong hands—and I was proud to help shut that door.

We also passed legislation tackling some of the most pressing issues facing rural producers.

Senate Bill 7 directs billions toward rural water infrastructure—funding new water supply projects, improving storage capacity, and repairing aging systems. House Bill 43 strengthens the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, helping young and small producers access financing they need to grow and compete.

Senate Bill 1399 exempts animal feed from personal property taxes, offering direct relief to producers facing rising costs across the board.

– Conservative State Representative Angelia Orr