Wide Open Spaces Wide Open Spaces Latina Farmer Embraces New Opportunity

BY CHRISTY MARTINEZ-GARCIA FOR LATINO LUBBOCK MAGAZINE PHOTOS BY LINDA GARCIA

Linda Garcia is the owner and CEO at KL Farms, as well as a cotton producer who started working as an independent Hispanic woman in the farming industry.

Every day was a learning experience, and it had many challenges. She said that she began her journey only five years ago but has embraced every moment.

“I moved to the country with my fiancé who worked as a farmer. I had lived in the small town of Ralls my whole life. Country Life was different for me. No clue about Country Living. That’s when my life began to change”, she said.

Linda started to raise bottle calves a few at a time then increasing that to 20 bottle calves. She said she enjoyed the calves and learning about them and all the highlights of the calves.

“I knew nothing about the cattle industry,” she said, but what she didn’t know she soon learned to love.

Once she felt comfortable, she started purchasing bred cows.

“One day I started with about 20 head of cows and in my 3rd year over 140 head of cattle. I really enjoy cattle and its challenges,” said the farmer and cotton producer.

“You never know from one day to the next what your day will be like.”

From vaccinating a sick calf to chasing a cow down the pasture to delivering a calf, she said it has its ups and downs, and every day as a farmer she learns something new. Through the experience, Linda also started photographing the beautiful scenes and magical moments on the farm from the cows themselves to the beautiful landscapes of the wide-open spaces, and the beautiful silhouettes of the landscape against the sunset.

She recalled that when her fiancé’s boss needed part-time help, she decided to start the journey as a part-time farmer, while continuing her life with cattle. She learned to drive a tractor, as well as comprehend farming and cultivating, planting, and water-stripping cotton. Along with learning all about the cotton industry, and all that it takes to raise a cotton crop.

“This was exciting to me. In my second year, I wanted to work in the cotton industry. Not knowing which way to turn.”

She added that meeting other farmers in the community was so helpful. They pointed her in the right direction. That’s when she felt that her journey truly began.

“It all started with the local FSA office. They have many programs, especially for beginner Farmers, and they have many programs, especially for women. Which I was not aware of. The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Office was so helpful and helped me with any questions I had. And helped me obtain my first beginning women's farmer program,” she said proudly. All too quickly she learned the concerns of the farmers and the issues with the drought, and the alternatives to survive as a farmer.

“I grew cotton after this drought this past year. I planted wheat and had my cattle graze the wheat for feed.”

Overall, as a Hispanic woman in the farming industry, she said that she has had to prove herself twice as hard as most men would’ve had to even buy cattle at the auctions.

“I felt at first like they would not take me seriously, and at times I would be overlooked when bidding. But with persistence and determination, I have been accepted and welcomed into the industry by many.”