A Texas Farmer’s Legacy
Meet the Incredible Texas farmer and family behind 3B Farms.
This past October, AgAmerica Lending was lucky enough to capture the story of a multi-generational family farm operation in the sandy country of Dalhart, Texas. The story of 3B Farms—a farm operation of corn, wheat, watermelon, and cattle—began with Lanny and Rita Bezner who had the determination to start an operation in the unforgiving sandy country of Northwest Texas, a feat some thought would never be possible.
“When I told my father I was going to buy this place and told him where it was, he said oh, that sandy country, it’ll blow your plum away”, Lanny Bezner.
Lanny Bezner grew up on the family farm where his dad taught him how to drive a tractor at 6 years old in the freezing cold winter, and the heat of the summer, before there were cabs on tractors. He studied agriculture at Texas Tech University, and married Rita in 1963. A few years later, in 1969, they purchased their first parcel of land and over the years gradually grew to over 19,000 acres of farm land in the panhandle of Texas.
“His dad told him he’d never make it… he said yes I will, and you’re wrong. There was no question, I had to go with him and do it because that was his dream and he was so determined.”
Rita Bezner
Riding the Waves of Farming
Across the nation farmers and ranchers face many obstacles including the weather, commodity pricing, and regulatory obligations that result in good and bad years. Lanny sums this volatility up as “riding the waves of farming”. Lanny’s mantra is that you have to ride the waves and do the best you can, with the resources you’ve been given.
The resilience Lanny and Rita possess to continue working the land they love for over 45 years amidst many weather and operational challenges, portray the true perseverance of the American farmer and all they represent in a changing world.
Feed, Water, Protect
“Farming is not an 8-5 job and it’s not a five day a week job–cattle need to eat every day, and so does corn. You have to feed, water, and protect. It takes a lot of perseverance to stay with it, and that’s what we’ve tried to teach our kids.”
The explosion of growth of 3B Farms occurred when their children joined the farm and began expanding and diversifying the operation. Presently, the operation has over 8,500 head of cattle and sells over 119,514 units of wheat seed. The Bezner family is consistently innovating their farming practices and expanding their operation through precision ag and the use of technology to help manage and prioritize their operation to remain at the forefront of the agriculture industry.
The Sandy Country Video Series
Similar to our Farming for Generations video series, we highlight the Bezner family and their stories in our new video series: The Sandy Country. Watch as we follow the journey of Lanny and Rita and take a behind the scenes glimpse at all they’ve built in our first video: A Texas Farmer’s Legacy.
