05/25/2026
Hum!
Warning: If you believe in fairness, transparency, and everyone operating under a level playing field this will be a tough read.
In an official Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission work session on the morning of August 25, 2021, Texas State Veterinarian Dr. Andy Schwartz made a statement that should have changed the entire CWD conversation in not only Texas, but the entire nation.
While discussing Chronic Wasting Disease, Schwartz stated:
“we suspect that a contaminated feed product — hay, in particular — could introduce CWD to a herd”.
Think about that for a second.
This was not:
* a breeder or hunter saying it,
* an activist saying it,
* or a critic of TPWD.
This was the Executive Director and State Veterinarian of the Texas Animal Health Commission speaking directly to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission during an official state work session.
What was equally striking was what did not happen in the room. The commissioners in the meeting were Abell, Rowling, Patton, Foster, and Hildebrand and they never pressed Schwartz on the statement. There was no deep discussion about feed sourcing, no urgent questioning about hay movement, and no meaningful inquiry into how contaminated feed could fit into the broader CWD picture in Texas. Even when they were asked if they had any questions for Dr. Schwartz not a single commissioner brought it up. They quickly changed the dialogue back to CWD among breeders.
Later, when commissioners questions arose about certain breeding facilities that tested positive for CWD despite having no plausible live-animal trace-outs, commissioner Hildebrand reportedly tried to press Dr. Schwartz on a trace out to make a connection between 5 breeders that had no explanation. He stated according to discussions surrounding those investigations, there were situations where no reasonable deer movement explanation could be established — not one commissioner or representative of TPWD asked anything about feed.
When Dr. Schwartz was specifically asked about these facilities again in the meeting his very first response was contaminated feed, not the last response but his very first explanation.
And what happened next? Crickets, not one follow up or concern.
TPWD ignored this even though the states leading vet told them so.
This gets even better, research from Texas A&M-affiliated scientists would reinforce the concern. Authors from Texas A&M Kingsville’s Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, including Dr. Randy DeYoung and Dr. David Hewitt, were involved in publications and guidance discussing feed and hay from CWD-positive areas and feed from unknown sources as HIGH-RISK materials. That was their exact words, “high-risk” TPWD has repeatedly relied on these same researchers as lead scientists on major CWD projects in Texas, including epidemiological modeling, surveillance strategies, genetic susceptibility studies, and response planning tied to both wild and captive deer populations. Their work has been cited in TPWD presentations, CWD task force discussions, and management recommendations across the state — yet the feed and hay risk issue never appeared in any regulations or public information to hunters or breeders.
Yet Texans never saw any public campaign from TPWD discussing what the lead vets in the state warned them about. Not once.
Debate this timeline.
The worst drought in Texas history was 2011, that lasted until 2015, after that it was 2022.
CWD was found first in Texas in a wild deer in 2012, right next to a major dairy hub that imports alfalfa.
In Sept of 2023 TPWD head Silovsky stated Texas had seen an increase in CWD in breeder pens.
Look again at the timeline above.
How much hay and alfalfa was imported and put out in Texas pastures throughout the state. How many wild deer were eating this hay put out for cattle as browse was limited from the drought.
Silovosky misled the public on the true problem area of prevelance. The biggest problem was where the imported hay was infecting wild deer. He just used the breeders as a distraction.
Did the state regulate it, no. Not even in 2022 after the 2021 meeting and reports of the leading state vet, and scientist that warned TPWD about this.
What would be more feasible both from resources and finances? CWD testing and regulations or regulate where imported feed and hay comes from. The answer isn’t even close. TPWD chose to harass hunters and breeders while ignoring the obvious, that they were warned about. All while obtaining federal grants for CWD. You see there has to be a “problem” for grants. Regulating hay, alfalfa, and feed would have been way to simple.
Is it getting clear who TPWD used as their blame game, when it was them that failed, they failed the deer herd and outdoorsman of Texas and blamed it on someone else.
Coming up you are going to see the most disturbing discrimination and finger pointing in modern business history, all while hiding what the state vets warned them about. The sad part is that Texas hunters and taxpayers paid for this blatant cover up while putting families of deer farmers out of business. This story in Texas gets more troubling with what happened in the wild deer population that had zero influence from the captive industry. Stay tuned for part two.
