By Julie Tomascik
Editor
Jacob and Laura Henson are building their dreams in Erath County. They have shaped a life and livelihood built on hard work, creativity and their shared passion for agriculture.
Jacob grew up in Eastland, where his days revolved around cattle and hay fields. He learned early on that agriculture takes persistence, and that lesson still drives him today.
“I grew up showing steers, team roping and hauling hay in the summer,” he said. “Now, I get to watch my daughter relive those moments—feeding cows, opening gates, just being out here. It’s nostalgic and fulfilling all at once.”
After several years working as a gunsmith, Jacob found another way to apply his hands and attention to detail. He launched his own remodeling and construction business.
“I’m a finish carpenter by trade, and that attention to detail carries over into everything I do,” he said. “Whether it’s remodeling homes or building a customer’s vision from scratch, it’s rewarding to see something come together exactly right.”
Laura’s roots in agriculture run deep.
She grew up helping with her family’s custom silage harvesting business and row-crop operation near Lingleville. Today, she’s a college instructor and research associate at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, teaching agricultural economics and business courses while completing her doctoral degree in agricultural economics.
“The majority of my students come from the I-35 corridor and have little to no background in agriculture,” she said. “I’ve had students tell me they didn’t know corn came on a cob. They’d only seen it in a can. Moments like that remind me how important it is to keep telling agriculture’s story.”
Laura uses her background to bridge that gap and bring real-world examples from their farm and family business into the classroom to connect theory with practice.
Outside the classroom, the Hensons’ work in production agriculture continues to grow. Together with Laura’s family, they manage a cow-calf herd and a high-fenced white-tailed deer operation. They also grow vegetables that they sell at local farmers markets.
“We didn’t expect to become vegetable producers. It just kind of happened along the way,” Jacob said. “We started with raised beds, and it grew from there. Once the garden got too big for us to eat it all, we decided to share it.”
The couple has built a loyal following. They now offer small-batch, value-added products like pickles, jams, jellies and salsas made from their own harvest.
“It’s been rewarding to connect with customers and talk about what we grow,” Laura said. “We’re often the only produce vendor at our market, so it gives us the chance to educate people about food, farming and how to use what we sell.”
Their ventures have deepened their understanding of what small business means in rural Texas.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities,” Laura said. “Every job or sale supports not just our family but our neighbors, too. It’s proof that entrepreneurship and agriculture can work hand-in-hand.”
Their daughters, three-year-old Ashton and newborn Audrey, are already part of the action. Ashton helps bag customers’ orders at the farmers market and insists on pushing the planter when peas go in the ground.
“Having kids shifted our focus,” Laura said. “We think a lot more about what we’re building for them—how to keep this land in our family and pass down the same appreciation for agriculture that we were raised with.”
That focus on the future keeps the Hensons motivated to keep growing at home, in business and in Farm Bureau. Laura serves as the Tarleton Collegiate Farm Bureau Chapter advisor and has held leadership roles with Erath County Farm Bureau. The couple also previously served on the Texas Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Advisory Committee.
“It can be a lot to juggle, but it’s fulfilling,” Jacob said. “We get to expose our kids to so many different things—cattle, gardening, building projects. And that’s the best kind of busy.”
Watch a video with the Hensons.
Excellence in Agriculture Contest
The Hensons are finalists in TFB’s Excellence in Agriculture Contest.
The contest recognizes young men and women ages 18 to 35 who are involved in agriculture but do not earn their primary income from a farm or ranch enterprise.
Information on the contest and TFB’s YF&R program can be found online at texasfarmbureau.org/YFR.
Leave A Comment