Choosing Change

On a spring afternoon in 2022, customers passed through the Schur family’s farm stand at a local farmers market in Plainview, Texas, buying fresh, locally grown produce. She waited until the market had almost ended. Even though the crowd had thinned, and most of the produce had been picked over, she still made her way to the stand, silent, emotional, and determined to say something before she left. Layton Schur can still clearly recall the memory.

“She told me, ‘I’m just going to let you know, you and another farmer probably kept me alive for another year,’” Schur said.

The woman, who had been fighting cancer, explained the fresh food she bought every week was more than just food; it was a necessity for her.

“She said the food we were growing was almost like medicine,” Schur said.

That moment changed everything for Layton and his wife, Jessi, who own and operate Frontier Market in Plainview, Texas. What started out as a direct-to-consumer experiment expanded as demand for locally grown food increased.

Finding a new market and increasing margins were not the only goals anymore, it was about redefining what a family farm could be — feeding people and serving the community. That realization became the turning point for the Schurs.

The Family Farm

The Schur family has a rich farming tradition in Hale County. In the 1950s, the promise of water drew Layton's grandfather, Martin, to the Texas High Plains. He started farming close to Happy Union, but soon saw the water levels were dropping, so he moved to the land the Schur family still farms today near Plainview.

Layton said adaptation was an essential part of the operation from the start.

“My grandfather got into all kinds of things: peppers, cucumbers and custom harvesting,” Layton said.

The adaptive spirit was passed down through the next generation. In the early 1980s, Layton's father, Glenn, went back to the farm and started using water-saving techniques and irrigation technology. Layton said his father’s openness to trying new things shaped his mindset and created an atmosphere that welcomed change.

“He was probably one of the first people in the area to put up a center pivot,” Layton said.

The farm used the well-known High Plains model—cotton, wheat, milo and cattle—for many years. It was reliable. It was proven. It worked for a long time. Until it did not.

“You don’t want to be the generation that loses the family farm.” Layton said. “The way it was done before isn’t how we’re going to keep it going.”

Glenn said the shift was necessary.

“This is what we’re going to have to do in place of row-crop farming,” Glenn said.

The Schurs, like many other West Texas producers, started to experience pressure from both diminishing profit margins and dwindling water availability.

“You cannot farm 10,000 acres on a 1% margin forever,” Layton said.

It was impossible to ignore the warning signs. Layton said the property's irrigation wells produced over 40 gallons per minute when he first began farming. That number drastically decreased in a matter of years.

“Now we have wells producing about two gallons a minute,” he said.

A near 66% drop in water forced a change in their operation and its future.

“It is pretty hard not to realize you have to do something different,” Layton said. His viewpoint changed from conventional commodity farming to cultivating specialty crops with added value — such as cucumbers, lettuce and strawberries — for direct-to-consumer sales. These specialty crops are produced for direct sale with an emphasis on freshness, quality, and higher value per acre for the Frontier Market, in contrast to conventional commodity crops grown for bulk markets.

A New Frontier

Like his father, Glenn, Layton pursued a degree in agricultural and applied economics at Texas Tech University, a shared background that influenced how both approached decision-making on the farm. During college, Layton said his first indication of change appeared. He examined his family's operations as part of a class project and found a significant inefficiency: the calves who went to the sale barn were not capturing added value.

“I knew we had a premium for bulls and replacement females, but not for those calves, and I didn’t like that,” he said.

He suggested selling beef to customers directly.

“I got a C on that project,” he laughed. However, Layton held onto the idea.

In 2020, Layton decided to implement the concept he developed in his class project at Texas Tech. Uncertain of what to expect, he finished a couple of steers and put the beef up for sale on Facebook.

“They sold in 30 minutes,” he said.

The quick success showed him, customers were eager to buy directly from the producer.

Layton said the largest change, however, was gaining control rather than just how the beef was marketed.

“It was a huge moment to become the price maker instead of the price taker,” he said. “We were price takers for 25 years.”

Layton said that mentality changed everything for the Schurs.

As demand increased, so did the opportunity. The Schur family sold whole and half beef at first, but they soon saw this strategy left out a lot of potential clients.

“A large number of people cannot afford to fill a freezer,” Layton said.

“Marketing is probably our biggest challenge,” Glenn said.

Retail was the answer. To provide consumers with smaller, more reasonably priced quantities of locally grown food, Layton and his wife, Jessi, started the Frontier Market in summer of 2022. Although, selling beef was not the end of the vision, fresh produce quickly followed. The Schurs began cultivating specialty crops such as strawberries, lettuce and cucumbers to satisfy the increasing demand for food that was sourced locally. The Schurs cultivate a range of specialty crops, such as squash, sweet corn, and other seasonal vegetables, in addition to strawberries, lettuce, and cucumbers. Layton said, leafy greens and strawberries have developed as some of Frontier Market's most reliable sellers. Strong consumer demand and steady performance have made crops such as leafy greens and strawberries essential components of their business.

The Schurs have modified planting techniques and crop varieties based on what works best in the High Plains climate because not all of their crops have been successful. In this climate region, Layton said some crops proved less successful and others needed several tries to get right necessitating changes to production techniques, timing and variety.

They began with a 900-square-foot greenhouse built on their family land. “We outgrew it the first day we started selling,” Layton said.

As demand increased, the operation expanded to include additional greenhouses and more acreage devoted to specialty crops. Based on consumer demand, the Schurs continue to refine what crops to grow and how much to produce.

“We can do all kinds of marketing, but until we get consumers actually purchasing, that’s what matters,” Glenn Schur said.

Much of this produce is grown in the greenhouses and sold directly through the Frontier Market. As demand grew, what had started as a single greenhouse swiftly expanded, resulting in more buildings and acres devoted to the production of specialty crops. This allowed for a greater variety and quantity of crops available during the growing season. Based on consumer demand, Layton said they continue to refine what crops to grow and how much to produce. Layton said hundreds of families receive fresh food every week from this operation year-round, which has grown to include acres of vegetable production. A large portion of this produce is grown in the greenhouses and sold directly to consumers through Frontier Market. This enables them to buy fresh food in more manageable amounts.

Although Layton oversees the production side, the Frontier Market is a family-owned business. Jessi builds relationships with clients and tells the farm's story. Jessi said, she helps close a gap that exists even in rural communities because of her past educational background teaching school.

“There is a huge disconnect about where food comes from,” Jessi said. For her, the connections made within the marketplace are equally as significant as the goods being offered.

“I love the interaction,” she said. “Everybody loves homegrown food, no matter who they are.”

Risk, Trust, and Family

Layton said his parents continue to be actively involved in the operation, contributing their perspective and experience. They believed in the operation when it mattered most, he said.

“When Layton could not get funding anywhere else, his parents stepped in,” Jessi said. It was risky, but it was based on mutual respect and a common goal.

“Some days you wonder if it’s going to work or not,” Glenn said.

According to Jessi, the entire family had to trust the risk.

“To have parents bet on you and your business, that is pretty amazing,” Jessi said.

Layton said the transition from the farm’s traditional commodity production to specialty crops was motivated by optimizing resources rather than merely satisfying demand.

“With vegetables, you can produce so much more value per gallon of water,” Layton said.

Despite dwindling water supplies, the farm has been able to maintain productivity thanks to this efficiency. Layton said, they decided to adopt a different strategy by diversifying their business, in contrast to many producers who still rely on conventional systems. It also represents a more general change in the Schurs' perspective on farming.

The Frontier Market is still based on something more profound than profitability, even despite its expansion. For the Schur family, success is determined by more than just money.

“If customers keep coming back, that is success,” Layton said.

Jessi said, their involvement in the community reflects this philosophy. The Schurs quietly and purposefully give food to families in need through non-profits and neighborhood projects in Plainview.

“We do not do it for attention,” Jessi said. “We just want it to be meaningful.”

Going All In

As Layton and Jessi reflect on where their farm operation is today compared to 2022, they acknowledged they had to embrace uncertainty to achieve their success. They had to stay committed to their vision of producing and selling locally-grown food. For the Schurs, believing in the process was harder than growing the product.

“When we decided to go all in, you are not thinking about next year; you are thinking five years ahead,” Layton said.

They started with a direct-to-consumer beef program in 2020. Building the beef program required lots of long-term planning, in contrast to traditional row crops where decisions can be changed season by season. Every choice made, from breeding to finishing to retail, had an impact years later.

“The beef program has a whole different mindset,” he said. “Once the ball starts rolling, you better stay ahead of it.”

Jessi said the financial risk was just as intimidating as when they built the greenhouses. The business had to be built with enough volume to support itself from the start rather than starting small and growing gradually.

“We could not just ease into it,” Jessi said. “It had to work, or it was not going to work at all.”

This reality meant the family had to trust each other and their passion.

“There were times we did not know if it was all going to come together,” Jessi said. “But we knew we were on the same team, working toward the same goal.”

Layton said he hopes his experience may encourage other producers to adopt new practices.

“You do not have to do it the way it has always been done,” he said.