By Shelby Shank
Field Editor
A look at beef cattle, aquaculture, specialty crops and the challenges of farming and ranching were a part of the 2025 Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Fall Tour held in the Coastal Bend.
More than 130 farmers and ranchers attended this year.
The four-day event exposes young farmers, ranchers, college students and agricultural professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 to agriculture in a different region of Texas each year.
“Fall Tour is a great opportunity for young farmers, ranchers and agricultural professionals because it lets you experience agriculture outside of your own county,” said Alyali Marcano, an agricultural science teacher from Dallas County. “As a teacher, I’m more excited to learn about something because what I’m learning, I’m bringing back to the classroom and sharing with my students.”
This year’s tour included stops in and around Victoria.
At BRC Ranch in Boling, the group learned about the family’s seedstock cattle operation, which offers Brahman, Angus and Hereford genetics.
“Visiting BRC Ranch opened my eyes to the diversity of cattle breeds and how prominent Brahman influence cattle are in the Coastal Bend,” Marcano said. “It’s something I can bring back to my classroom to help my students see beyond the one or two breeds they’re familiar with.”
The group stopped at United Ag’s Danevang Gin, where they toured the cotton gin and bagging operation. The gin processes more than 2,400 bales each day, using modern technology to keep the cotton clean and high-quality. Seeing the process up close gave the group a firsthand look at how raw cotton is transformed before heading to market.
At Bowers Homegrown Seafood, participants learned about the family-owned aquaculture operation. The Bowers manage 13 shrimp ponds and have grown into one of the nation’s largest producers of farm-raised hybrid striped bass, red drum, catfish and Pacific white shrimp.
The tour continued at Turtle Creek Aquaculture, where red drum fish are raised in outdoor ponds and supplied to restaurants and wholesalers across Texas.
In Palacious, the group visited The Oyster Bros, where two brothers are producing high-quality oysters and growing Texas mariculture.
“I grew up on the coast, but I had never seen this side of agriculture before,” said Lacie Beall, who was raised on a cow-calf operation in Live Oak County. “Visiting the shrimp farm, hearing from the brothers at the oyster farm and touring the redfish farm really opened my eyes to another part of agriculture beyond raising cattle or growing row crops.”
The group also heard from Amy Nowlin, Coastal & Marine Resources agent for Matagorda County with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Texas Sea Grant, who shared insights on the current state and future of Texas aquaculture.
Another tour stop included a visit to Briggs Ranches, a historic South Texas ranch known for their Santa Gertrudis and Brangus genetics.
Participants visited South Texas Milling, Inc., where century-old stone grinding methods are used to create more than 50 all-natural products. From cornmeal and grits to specialty mixes and wildlife feed, all items are packaged on their farm.
“South Texas Milling was one of my favorite stops of the tour because some of their products are in H-E-B,” Marcano said. “I shop there all the time, but I don’t always stop to think that what takes me five minutes in the store represents years of work by farmers to get their product on grocery store shelves.”
Participants toured Hanslik’s Homegrown Vegetables, a family-run farm with a variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables including carrots, garlic, onions and leafy greens.
“I’ve always had a vegetable garden and tried growing things on my own, but I had never seen production on such a large scale,” Beall said. “Learning about how Hanslik grows different crops at different times of the year was eye opening.”
Young farmers and ranchers visited the Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum where they explored authentic artifacts and the history behind cattle drives in Texas.
Participants had the opportunity to visit one of two Yoakum-based businesses—Double J Saddlery or Double D Ranch. Double J Saddlery spans three generations of saddle-makers, known for their handcrafted custom saddles and tack. Double D Ranch brings Western style to life with a blend of high-fashion flair and rugged Western heritage.
The Fall Tour concluded with a visit to Spoetzl Brewery & Distillery, Texas’ oldest independent brewery and home of the iconic Shiner beer.
The trip gave young farmers and ranchers a look at agriculture in the Coastal Bend, a chance to network and learn techniques to adopt on their farms and ranches.
“Fall Tour is a great way to meet and connect with other like-minded individuals in agriculture who are in a similar stage of life,” Beall said. “I really enjoyed the networking opportunities and getting to see different types of agriculture in another region of Texas.”
This year’s tour was held Sept. 4-7.
For more information on young farmer and rancher activities, visit texasfarmbureau.org/YFR or email youngfarmers@txfb.org.
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