By Jennifer Whitlock
Field Editor
Farming is tough. Being first-generation farmers can be even tougher. Travis and Bethany Wanoreck know this from experience, but nine years in, they say they’re happier than ever with the choice they made.
It was the only thing Travis ever wanted to do, but the dream seemed impossible when he graduated high school.
He grew up on a family farm in Eola, but his dad quit farming in the mid-’90s, and his grandparents’ land was already leased out to other farmers.
So, he went to college and then to work for Helena Chemical. The company stationed him in Rob-stown, and he met Bethany while attending church in nearby Orange Grove. In 2012, Travis’ grandfather purchased 190 acres of land in Bee County to lease to the young couple.
And that’s how the Wanorecks became first-generation farmers in the Coastal Bend.
“We started from the ground up, literally. It’s hard getting capital and starting out on your own,” Travis said. “And the financial system in general has just become so much tighter, so they’re not as willing to lend to young people without much collateral.”
Now, they grow cotton, sesame, wheat, corn and grain sorghum on owned and leased land across three counties, as well as custom planting and harvesting for other area farmers.
Growing up in Orange Grove, Bethany was exposed to agriculture by showing animals in 4-H and FFA. But she didn’t know much about farming until she started dating Travis.
Now, she splits her time between working for Orange Grove ISD as a school nurse and helping Travis on the farm.
“My job allows me to be more flexible with the farm. We have summers off, which is during our harvest time down here. So, that allows me to be home with the kids while Travis is harvesting. But it also allows me to help out as far as cooking meals, delivering meals to the field, running around after parts, doing payroll and paying bills, while Travis is out harvesting during the summertime,” she said.
Bethany also helps in the field.
“He’ll throw me on the tractor for plowing or something like that. I help move equipment, move the grain header, drive the grain cart, whatever he needs,” she said. “Since we farm across three county lines, moving equipment is a full-time job some days.”
Their three children love being able to go spend time with Travis on the tractor after school or during school breaks.
And it’s nice to be your own boss and make your own schedule, although Travis noted with a laugh that Mother Nature is the true boss of his time.
“It’s like that old saying, ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ I love what I’m doing and just wouldn’t want to raise my family any other way,” he said.
That doesn’t mean he always finds farming easy. In fact, each year is a struggle, with its own set of troubles and challenges.
“Since we picked up quite a bit more land these past couple of years, our biggest challenge is finding labor—good help that’s willing to work and stick with it,” he said. “And there are always other things we can’t control. This year, it was too wet. Last year, it was too dry. The year before that, the markets were low. There’s no one challenge that’s greater than the other, so we just always try to make a good crop and sell it at the right price and hope for the best.”
And the couple wants consumers—both local and across the nation—to know they’re doing everything they can to be good stewards of the land they’ve been entrusted to farm.
“I just want consumers to know, my child is right there with me in whatever I do on the farm. I’m not going to expose them to something that’s harmful to them,” Travis said. “There’s nothing on my farm I wouldn’t feed to my family or have them wear. I’m just trying to do the best I can with what we have, trying to feed and clothe the world.”
Click here to watch a video interview with Travis and Bethany Wanoreck.
They are finalists in Texas Farm Bureau’s 2021 Outstanding Young Farmer & Rancher Contest. Click here to learn more about the contest and other young farmer and rancher opportunities.