“I’ve always enjoyed growing things. I’ve always enjoyed being outside. And I’ve always enjoyed seasons.” -Bruce Talbott

Talbott Farms was started by Charlie Talbott’s grandfather in 1962, but his great-grandfather started planted peaches on Colorado’s Western Slope in 1917. That’s why when it comes to operating fruit orchards, the Talbotts’ know how to be prepared for the long game.

According to Bruce, their operation has various advantages. 

“We have prime and unique farmland,” Bruce said. “And we have winds that blow the cold air to the lower end of the valley. And we have a family that works relatively well and enjoys being part of this business.” 

A Patient Partner

Today, Charlie Talbott owns and operates the orchard alongside his family. Charlie credits American AgCredit for understanding not only the complexities of orchard operations at Talbott Farms but its long-range planning and the seasonality of their operation, as well.  “They have been an important component of our business,” says Charlie, chairman of American AgCredit’s Board of Directors, and a fourth-generation farmer from Palisade, Colorado. “They have allowed us to do some things that we might not have otherwise been able to do.”

With the help of American AgCredit, Charlie and his brothers have built the family’s strong farming foundation into a diverse agricultural operation that produces peaches, pears, cherries, wine grapes, juices and ciders, sweet and hard.  

Whether leading his family’s farming operations or American AgCredit’s Board, Charlie keeps one eye on the long view. Having multiple perspectives allows him to appreciate family farm traditions rooted in the past while also seeing opportunities today for moving his enterprise—and American AgCredit—into the future.