Commissioner Miller Says Rodeo Season Ends With ‘Remarkable Success’ For Go Texan Partners

AUSTIN, TX – Today, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced that the 2024 rodeo season marked an "outstanding triumph" for GO TEXAN partners.

The GO TEXAN program is a Texas Department of Agriculture initiative dedicated to identifying and supporting Texas-based businesses and connecting them with customers across the Lone Star State and around the world, information states. 

Sales across all six events totaled nearly half a million dollars, offering "crucial support" to small Texas-based businesses. 

Partners showcased their Texas-made products from January to May at kiosks and GO TEXAN Pavilions in Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, Austin, and San Angelo.

Particularly noteworthy was the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo General Store, which saw profits of $208,579 for its 48 Partners.

"For a quarter of a century, our GO TEXAN program has been championing Texas businesses, propelling them toward greater success and accomplishments,” Commissioner Miller noted. “These rodeos serve as valuable platforms that allow our partners to directly engage with customers and retail buyers. I want to congratulate all our partners and TDA’s dedicated GO TEXAN marketing team on a truly remarkable rodeo season.”

In addition to the success at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo General Store, other results included:

1. Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo: 30 Partners earned $195,841.
2. San Antonio Livestock Exposition: 6 Partners earned $11,758.
3. Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show: 3 Partners earned $11,788.
4. Rodeo Austin: 18 Partners earned $21,205.
5. San Angelo Rodeo: 6 Partners earned $11,241. 

All in all, 111 GO TEXAN Partners collectively brought home $460,442.

“The GO TEXAN Pavilion saw another extremely profitable year at the 2023 State Fair of Texas as well,” Commissioner Miller said. “TDA’s GO TEXAN Pavilion, presented by Southwest Dairy Farmers, saw nearly $1 million in gross sales for GO TEXAN partners.”

GO TEXAN partner products spanned a diverse range, from coffee and salsas to housewares and body care items. Partners have the option to have their products featured in GO TEXAN marketplaces or engage directly with rodeo attendees.

Melissa Yarborough of Ennis-based Big Daddy Beard, a Partner since 2021, said the benefits of selling their beard care products at GO TEXAN rodeo pop-up shops and marketplaces go further than immediate sales.

“The numbers are just incredible for us," she said. "It’s exposure that a small business like ours could never get on our own."

For more information on GO TEXAN, visit GOTEXAN.org.