Story and photos compiled by Rebecca Gresham, Public Affairs Specialist, Lubbock, Texas

In the northeast Texas Panhandle, where the semi-arid climate poses both challenges and opportunities, Tregellas Family Farms embodies the spirit of resilience and innovation. This multi-generational agricultural operation has partnered with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to transform their land and practices, achieving remarkable success in both crop production and cattle raising.

Janet Tregellas recalls the farm’s evolution with pride: “We were farming from 1976 to 2018 but then transitioned to livestock to allow for succession.” While livestock have always been part of their operation, the shift in focus is crucial to their long-term success.

Located in Perryton, the farm spans both dryland and irrigated grain farm areas, and a thriving cow-calf operation. Janet and Rocky Tregellas, who married in 1976, spent decades navigating the ups and downs of farming life together. Janet, who grew up on a cow-calf operation, always preferred working with animals, while Rocky favored farming.

Their son, Blake Tregellas, joined the operation in 2008 bringing fresh energy and ideas. After marrying his wife, Sarah, Blake purchased part of Rocky and Janet’s farming operation in 2019 and has since taken the lead on that side of the business. 
 

“I don’t know if it was the equipment or the crops or a combination of it all, I just kind of leaned more towards farming,” Blake says.

Blake's love for farming is evident, “I want my children to do something that makes them as happy as this makes me.” For Blake, agriculture in the Panhandle is more than a job—it's a way of life. “Every day is beautiful on the Panhandle.”

A Legacy of Conservation

The family has been involved with NRCS and Farm Service Agency (FSA) since 1976, when Rocky’s dad took Janet to an FSA office for training. They ended up participating in the first Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in the 1980s. 

NRCS District Conservationist Sonia Burgos-Colon worked with Janet and Blake for several years covering range and crop land using various practices. “In the beginning, Janet worked everything, the farm and the ranch, and now it’s divided with her son, Blake,” she says.

Together, they’ve implemented practices such as fencing, a grazing plan, and watering facilities, like pipelines and pivots, to further their irrigation operation, soil probes, and nutrient management. They have also planted diverse grasses in their pastures. 

“Whenever they’re looking to do something new, they ask if we help to cover that, including technical assistance.” Burgos-Colon says.

These conservation practices have benefited their land, livestock, and wildlife. The family looks forward to new NRCS programs to help them achieve their conservation goals.

Farming Operations

The Tregellas farming operation includes a diverse crop rotation system with corn, wheat, seed sorghum, milo, oats, triticale, silage, and sunflowers. The corners of their irrigated fields provide grass for grazing and wildlife habitat. Effective nutrient management is practiced throughout the farm.

“Wheat and milo are our two main crops on dryland, and we’ll work in cotton. On irrigated land, it’s corn, wheat silage, seed sorghum, and whatever makes sense.” Blake notes the high demand for corn in the Panhandle, making it a profitable crop.

Forages are also increasingly in demand by dairies in the western and southwestern Panhandle, driving a trend toward more forage and feed production. 

Ranching Operations

The Tregellas family raises commercial angus beef cattle. Janet is heavily involved in managing their native grasses and improving their grazing pastures. Their rangeland includes areas previously enrolled in a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). They practice rotational grazing and brush management to keep their grasslands productive and healthy, which is important in the harsh Panhandle climate.
 

“When we first moved here 40 something years ago, we really were more of a short grass prairie,” Janet says. “We have land east of here that now has the four big prairie grasses on it and NRCS has been instrumental in that.” She points out an exclusion area they use to monitor their grazing. “You keep the cattle out of it and see how much it grows in comparison.”

There are several benefits to having big prairie grasses on the land, in place of short grasses. The soil stays cooler and more nutrient rich. It also provides instrumental habitat for wildlife like pheasants and grouse. 

Balancing Conservation and Production

“Our goal is to be conservationists and sustainable. In our semi-arid environment, if we tilled everything, we’d end up with no crop and a higher carbon footprint due to increased fuel and soil destruction,” Blake states, explaining their conservation philosophy.
 

The farm practices reduced tillage, finding a balance between minimal inputs and not going fully organic. They use soil moisture probes in their irrigation management, allowing them to optimize water usage and save resources. The probes provide data on soil moisture, helping them decide when and how much to water.
Janet appreciates the NRCS solar water well for cattle. “NRCS has been instrumental in helping us get the water lines, tanks, and wells,” she says.

NRCS Partnership

Working with the NRCS has been a natural transition, according to Blake. “As a kid, if mom was going to the NRCS office, I was going to the NRCS office. So, I’ve been in and out of the office my entire life.”

As a result, when he came home and partnered with Tregellas Family Farms in 2009, the programs that his parents were already a part of became a part of this operation as well. “And so then, along the way if we wanted to try a new practice or program, I could walk in and say, ‘I’ve heard there’s a program, what can you tell me about it? How is that a fit? How can we work it into our operation? Is this something that benefits us? Or do we need to be looking at a different program?’”

Burgos-Colon enjoys working with the Tregellas family just as much as they enjoy her support. “They are very innovative,” she says, noting their great dynamic as a multi-generational operation. 

Looking Ahead

Agriculture requires longer hours than some other industries, often limiting families from seeing each other as often as they’d like. Not only has their family partnership provided a chance for Blake to see his parents over the years, but it’s helped him to fulfill a lifelong love of farming. “It’s great because it provides opportunity where they’re willing to bring you into an operation where maybe a non-family member wouldn’t. You can work as partners for a long time and maybe they step out and give you the opportunity to grow and continue the family legacy.”

Tregellas Family Farms, with their commitment to conservation and sustainability on their fields and pastures, continue to thrive in the Texas Panhandle, setting an example for future generations. 

“People talk about legacy and heritage. I come from a long ranching family—clear back from the 1800s. And we’ve been in production agriculture and cattle ranching for that long. It’s rewarding and fulfilling to know that another generation will keep that going,” Janet says. “But everything that we have, everything that we own, belonged to somebody else before it belonged to us, and the natural progression is that it will eventually belong to somebody else. So, while I’m here and while I’m making the decisions, I want to improve on it.”

Janet quotes writer Willa Cather: “Anyone can love the mountains; it takes a soul to love the prairie.” This sentiment captures the family's dedication to their land. She adds smiling, “My mother, who is 93, still works on her ranch, so we feel like we have a long career ahead of us.”