William Reus and his son Mark own Reus Grain, a grain processing facility in Hondo, Texas. 

They also grow their own corn, milo, wheat, oats and cotton on the family farm. 

Humble beginnings 
William’s father and uncle purchased the farm together in 1928. As a young boy, William greatly looked up to his father and uncle, and if they were farmers, then he certainly wanted to be a farmer, too. As he grew up, William’s father proposed that they rent land from their elderly neighbors who didn’t have anyone to pass the farm down to. William jumped at the opportunity and so began his farming career. 

Diversifying farm income 
Years later, in the early to mid-1980s, William found himself, alongside many other farmers in the United States, struggling to keep his business afloat. He had to think of something that would add value to his product and generate income amid uncertain times. 

William noticed that people from the Hill Country of Texas were coming down to his region to buy corn for their deer, sheep and goats. Responding to demand, he started bagging his grain and selling it to them. 

“It started off small scale, sacking it out of a trailer,” Mark said. “And then it grew in stages from there.” Today, Reus Grain processes between 800,000 and one million bushels of grain every year, utilizing a system of machines that efficiently clean, bag and stack the product. 

Reliable financial partner 
Over the years, William and Mark have turned to Texas Farm Credit for support. “Farm Credit has helped to grow our business into what it is today, by loaning us the financial resources that we needed to grow at the time we needed them,” Mark said. “We couldn’t operate without them because they understand what our goals are and what we’re trying to accomplish.”