In 2022, Zach Talbott exchanged his Jefferson City office to return home and become a part of Talbott Family Farms, growing rice and soybeans near Neelyville in #Agri-Ready Designated Butler County.
Missouri is ranked fourth in the nation for rice production and seventh for soybean production. Talbott said he is prepared to face the challenges of farming such as economic inflation, weather, labor and sustainability with a fundamental goal in mind, “I want to give my kids the opportunity to grow up on the family farm just like I did.”
“If you had asked me years ago, I would have told you that I never saw myself farming as a career,” said Talbott.
He grew working with his father during his high school summers on up on Talbott Family Farms, a tradition he continued during his collegiate summers after he left to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia to major in political science.
During his years off the farm, Talbott met his wife, Emily, and worked as a grain auditor for the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Mentors at the department encouraged him to learn about leadership and get involved in agriculture organizations to broaden his network and deepen his knowledge.
In 2019, Talbott became a member of the Missouri Agricultural Leadership of Tomorrow class.
“As a member of ALOT, I met several farmers about my age. Their family stories were similar to mine,” Talbott shared. “I started to see the farm as a more viable future for me and that began pulling me back to the family farm.”
Talbott packed up his Jefferson City office and relocated his family back home to the farm in time to partner with his father for the 2022 growing season. As they continue to work together, the Talbott father-son team is in the process of transitioning ownership of the farm that Talbott’s dad started in the 1990’s and has grown since.
Talbott and his dad grow soybeans and rice in #Agri-Ready Butler County, at the western reach of Missouri’s bootheel Delta region.
According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, more acres of soybeans and rice were planted in Butler County than any other crop. Butler County boasts twice as many acres of rice planted and harvested, higher yields per acre, and more than double the annual production of other rice producing counties according to a 2023 National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA report.
September was recognized as National Rice Month, an ideal time to recognize that Missouri ranks fourth nationally in rice production, a reflection of the state’s agricultural diversity. Half of the United States rice crop is consumed domestically.
During 2024, Talbott Family Farms is growing 80% of its rice on furrowed land, in contrast to the traditional method of flooding acreage controlled by levees. Furrowed rice can be no-tilled, which reduces the time and fuel resources that would be used for deep-tillage and building levees.
This past spring, speeding the planting process was essential to Talbott and his father because regular heavy rains created very narrow windows of time for them to get rice seeds into the soil so they could be prepared to plant soybean seeds at the correct time. Furrowed rice has met the demands of these reasons for time management and increased sustainability on Talbott’s farm and, critically, relieves the stress caused by a lack of reliable farm labor.
“The employees we have had on the farm are aging and less available. They have been very valuable because they were able to solve problems that would arise thanks to their years of experience,” Talbott said. “The hard work of the farm interests younger, able-bodied people, who unfortunately aren’t staying in rural areas.
“They leave our area to seek other opportunities. I would much rather employ local people, but out of an extreme need on our farm, we will be utilizing H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers next year.”
The H-2A program connects employers with foreign workers who perform temporary or seasonal agricultural work.
Farms and agribusinesses like Talbott Family Farms support 1,774 jobs in the Butler County economy which generate $77.1 million in household income. Agriculture, food, forestry and related industries generated $120.7 million in value added to the local economy annually, according to the 2021 Missouri Economic Contribution of Agriculture and Forestry Study.
In 2017, Butler County Commissioners and local leaders sought and were granted Agri-Ready County Designation by Missouri Farmers Care. The Agri-Ready County Designation seeks to support local leaders in developing new opportunities for agriculture in their communities through business development and agricultural literacy.
“I want to give my kids the opportunity to grow up on the family farm just like I did,” Talbott shared. “If a generation skips growing up on the farm, it may be nearly impossible for them to have the opportunity come back if they want to. The farther we get removed from the farm, the harder it is to return. I feel like I am where I need to be. I wouldn’t trade our life on the farm to go back to the office. My favorite thing about farming full-time is seeing a field progress from bare soil to being fully grown and full of ripe grain.”
Talbott and his wife, Emily, share life on Talbott Family Farms with their three children, and look forward to welcoming another potential farmer to the family in January 2025 with the birth of their fourth child.