Patrick Turo (left), owner of Twisted T Farm, and Floyd Nauls, former NRCS district conservationist in Montogomery and Walker Counties and current Texas State Outreach Specialist. (Photo: NRCS)
BRYAN, Texas — Enthusiasm comes off Patrick and Rachel Turo in palpable waves. On their Twisted T Farm property near Willis, Texas, that enthusiasm is evident not just in the Turos themselves, it’s seen in the care they put into their crops, animals, products, community, and—most of all—their family.
In fact, family is the reason behind the evolution of Twisted T Farm to all-organic, mineral densified farming methods.
“When we had our first daughter, Hannah, and she was walking around grabbing tomatoes, I was like, ‘No, you can’t do that because I just sprayed something on it!’ That does no good for me, that does no good for our family,” says Patrick. “I want my two children to be able to go at any point and grab a tomato, cucumber, or berry and not have to worry about if there was something sprayed [on it]. They can go eat it, and I know they’re getting the most benefit out of it.”
Rachel points out some of the other bigger-picture benefits their children will learn from the hard work of running a productive farm.
“It teaches them not only work ethic, but it also teaches them that food doesn’t just come from the grocery stores. Somebody is out there growing it, raising it, and that there are hard decisions to be made at the end of the day, especially when it comes to animals,” she says.
Patrick and Rachel are active and dedicated teachers when it comes to both their children and their community. That enthusiasm for teaching also reflects some of the guidance they received as they cut their own path into the world of organic gardening and community agriculture—a path that has led to this special farm in east Texas.
Falling in love with the land
It’s fair to say the Turos were well aware of the challenges and rewards a life in agriculture can bring to individuals and families when they first started. Their backgrounds alone prepared them for the basics.
The couple first met at Sam Houston State University. They were both studying Agriculture Business, and simultaneously falling in love with each other and the dream of owning a family farm. For both, diverging paths led to that intersection.
“I grew up around three master gardeners,” says Patrick. “My mother was an amazing gardener, my grandfather was an amazing gardener, and that’s where I fell in love with it.”
Patrick knew what he wanted to do from a young age, even down to the details. He came up with the name Twisted T Farm when he was in ninth grade, where he drew on his love of old-growth trees to form the basis of the farm’s logo.
Though Rachel grew up on a cattle ranch, she was not planning on pursuing a future in agriculture at all, other than living on the ranch. But her college electives sparked her passion.
“I just fell in love with it,” Rachel says. “I felt like that’s where I needed to be.”
Seeking guidance from the experts
While the Turos had a framework for what a life in agriculture looked like, Patrick found that some of the same people who guided and shaped him tried to dissuade the family from making the switch to an all-organic production.
“They were all traditionalists,” says Patrick. “Today, they don’t 100% believe in what we’re doing because we’re organic and they’re like, ‘That’s the hardest way to grow, traditional is easier.’”
Patrick recalls that a few years ago, while searching through videos online, he came across the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Turos put working with NRCS on the back burner at the time, until a work friend spent time telling Rachel about the variety of programs NRCS offered.
“I brought it back up to Patrick,” Rachel says. “I said we really need to pursue this, and that’s when Patrick made the phone call to Floyd, and we were able to get in contact and really got going with some of the programs from NRCS.”
Floyd is Floyd Nauls, Jr., former NRCS District Conservationist for Walker and Montgomery counties, and currently NRCS Texas State Outreach Coordinator. The relationship between Nauls and the Turos led to remarkable things on the farm and is firmly rooted in mutual admiration and cooperation.
“It’s a true pleasure working with Patrick and Rachel. They’re very, very energetic and they have passion,” says Nauls. “They have the greater good; the greater interest at heart. It’s not all about the money, it’s about education, giving back, and being a good steward of the land.”
Nauls helped the Turos set up two seasonal high tunnels to help expand their range of produce and extend their growing season.
Nauls and the Turos also worked hand-in-hand to learn and implement the use ofclimate smart agricultural practices, such as cover crops, to improve soil health, moisture retention, and block out invasive weeds.
Learning curves
Education is a major focus on Twisted T Farm, where the Turos hope to take their hard-won knowledge and experience and turn it to the benefit of new producers or those just new to organic methods.
“NRCS has been such a helpful tool to us in the growing and the learning curves,” said Rachel. “We can tell other people and other farmers, ‘Hey, this is what I learned,’ and then they can take it and use it to help themselves as well.”
One of those learning curves came in the form of the high tunnels the Turos were able to construct, with the help of NRCS’sEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Unlike most high tunnels, theirs are dug 10 feet down, so the plants collect rainwater rather than water through drip systems. After multiple episodes of trial and error, the Turos’ high tunnels have finally managed to collect an appropriate amount of water through a 4-foot-wide log backed trench system. This, on top of their composting practices, have helped the plants in their high tunnels thrive.
It’s safe to say that the Turos have worked out the kinks when it comes to their high tunnels—the produce they cultivate under those roofs reaches plates across their community. The season extension afforded to the Turos through the use of the high tunnels means that they can potentially harvest all the way into December. They can combine their commitment to seasonal gardening with the year-round demand in the area.
Other parts of the high tunnels’ implementation required other forms of adjustment. “We were always above-ground gardeners,” Rachel explains. “It’s less stress on everything, it’s less stress on your back. One thing going into the high tunnels was learning how to plant in-ground, and how to actually produce in-ground, and what we have to bring to the soils to actually get better production.”
The Turos had an able guide as they improved their conservation and urban agriculture practices. They don’t want that knowledge to stop at their property line.
Reaching out
Through all this, the Turos have counted on Nauls and the NRCS for financial andtechnical assistance, as well as general guidance. Now they want other producers to know the benefits of working with the agency.
“I did not know [NRCS worked with] small farms. I did not know what it was, I still don’t know what all they offer,” Patrick said. “It is amazing for small farms. It is amazing for big farms”.
One of the main points of contact between the Turos and the community is in Twisted T’s on-farm store where the Turos currently sell a range of produce, treats (elderberry gummies are especially fun), and canned goods from their farm. But true to everything else they do on the farm, the Turos are looking at ways to turn the store into a larger resource for the community.
“We will eventually bring in other vendors and other farm friends of ours to grow our business so we can support the smaller farms like us that are trying to make it in this crazy world,” Rachel said.
The Turos also offer classes in canning and other forms of outreach. They want to not only empowers others to grow their own produce, they also want to cultivate empathy for the trials of the organic farmer. The Turos are committed to the methods they believe in, even if that makes life a little more difficult in the short term.
“Organically growing is extremely difficult,” Patrick said. “We do have a high loss rate, but our produce is more mineral densified. There are some bug bites in it, but at the same time, people understand.”
Nauls, who has worked side-by-side with the Turos for years, has seen the amount of hard work the family has put into their farm and takes a wider view.
“The process may be long and difficult,” Nauls says, “but the benefits and rewards are tremendous.”
–Adele Swearingen, Public Affairs Specialist
USDA NRCS Texas
