Greg and Heather Hengst stand in their future sweet corn location that overlooks the pasture.
by Cassie Bable, public affairs specialist, Texas FSA
Greg Hengst grew accustomed to the farming lifestyle as a child. His grandfather, father and deceased great uncle were all farmers. Greg knew without a doubt that he wanted to farm since his freshman year of high school.
With farming in mind, Greg graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Agronomy. After meeting his wife Heather, also a Texas A&M graduate, Greg decided that it was time to start farming independently. Greg and Heather grew up in farming families. They are used to the lifestyle, uncertainty and satisfaction associated with farming.
The Hengst’s first challenge was finding start up funds. Greg and Heather looked to several local banks for assistance but none were willing to take the risk.
“Banks don’t want to help the family farmer anymore,” said Greg. “They are really turning their backs on us the way I see it.”
After hearing the upsetting news from multiple banks, Greg and Heather did not lose faith. When Greg was a child he accompanied his grandfather into town to run errands and on several occasions they stopped at the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to make payments or certify acres. Greg’s uncle has also used many FSA programs. At this point, Greg decided to see if the Falls County FSA office could offer any assistance.
At the office Greg met Michelle King, farm loan officer and Terri Trevino, farm loan manager. King helped Greg create a farm business plan for his agricultural operation, and worked with him until the paperwork was complete and showed sufficient cash flow. With the business plan in place, Greg applied for a direct loan to purchase real estate for farmland.
Fortunately Greg’s loan request was approved and in 2005 Greg independently farmed 562 acres.
“Buying our first farm was our start, and we couldn’t have done it without FSA financing,” said Greg.
Like most farmers, Greg and Heather have witnessed the struggle and uncertainty caused by a bad crop year. In 2008, Milam and Williamson counties experienced an extreme drought. Low yields made for an unsuccessful production year. During this time, Greg used an FSA disaster loan and emergency loan to make ends meet. While farmers and ranchers face many elements outside of their control, Greg and Heather remain positive.
“It’s comforting to know that there is nothing that can happen tomorrow that hasn’t happened before,” said Greg. “If my Grandpa made it, then so can we,” he said.
Greg credits his success to having faith.
“I feel very strongly that you must have faith in God; I know I couldn’t farm without my faith,” said Greg.
In 2010, Greg and Heather found a house, grain bins, a barn and shed on 5.4 acres in Milam County that had the potential to make a great farm headquarters. This time, the Hengsts' went directly to the FSA office to talk to King and apply for a direct farm ownership loan.
Having a farm with grain bins gives Greg more control when it comes to marketing his crops. When prices are low, he has the option to store his crops on-location instead of paying for storage or selling his crops at a low price and taking a loss.
The Hengst farm now consists of 1,350 acres of row crops and 125 acres of coastal hay and hay grazer.
“Greg and Heather farm as a team and are very conservative in their growth to only increase to the level that they are confident that they can maintain,” said Trevino.
Greg and Heather have big plans for their future. They want to create a viable farming operation that their children can step into if they choose to carry on the legacy. Ultimately they hope that the family farm is successfully passed down from generation to generation.
FSA accomplishes the Agency mission every time that farmers and ranchers like Greg and Heather receive assistance.
“There are few things more rewarding than seeing our customers achieve success and knowing that FSA played a role in their life story,” said Trevino.
