At 100 years old, Margaret Russell still wants to know exactly where the money is going.
Her sons, Charles and Lem, may handle most of the day-to-day farming operation today, but Margaret is far from retired. She still enjoys playing a role, whether it’s helping oversee the bookkeeping, or occasionally hopping on a tractor to help work a field. And when the AgTexas team visited the Russell farm, there was little about her that suggested she intended to slow down.
Margaret was on her feet welcoming everyone into her home, making tea and visiting with the group with an energy that seemed to defy her 100 years. Before everyone headed outside to see the farm, AgTexas lenders Conner Allen and Travis Begley even helped Margaret with a few small tasks inside the house.
The ease of the interaction felt less like a meeting between a lender and customer and more like what it actually was: a relationship built over decades. For Margaret, about eight of them.
“AgTexas Raised Me”
Margaret and her late husband, L.J. Russell, both grew up in Central Texas in families with agricultural roots. Their families farmed, milked cows and raised sheep and cattle. When Margaret and L.J. set out to build an operation of their own, Farm Credit financing was there from the beginning.
Margaret has now been a customer for approximately 80 years. Looking back over that history, she summed up the relationship simply, “AgTexas raised me.” It’s a short statement that carries the weight of a lifetime.
The Russells built their farm over decades of changing crops, markets, equipment, interest rates and generations. Through it all, agricultural financing helped them move from getting started to building an operation their sons could eventually carry forward.
Today, at 100 years old — and with her 101st birthday coming in January 2027 — Margaret can look across an operation that has grown far beyond its beginnings.
Building the Russell Family Partnership
Before L.J.’s health began to decline, the family made an important decision about the future of the farm. Lem had his own land and equipment. Charles had his. Their father had land and a lineup of good equipment that was already paid for.
Rather than continuing separately, they brought their resources and employees together and formed the Russell Family Partnership. Today, Charles and Lem lead the daily operation. The family raises irrigated crops including hybrid seed milo, corn and wheat. They also maintain a cow-calf operation.
The structure may have changed over the years, but it remains very much a family farm and Margaret remains part of it. “Mom has always been strong to this day,” Lem said. “We’re blessed to have her still watching what goes on.”
More Than One Generation
There is something extraordinary about an agricultural relationship that lasts 80 years. Not simply because of the number, but because of everything that happened within those years: A young couple gets started, they buy land and equipment, they raise a family. Good years come, and difficult ones do too. The operation grows. Children become partners. Responsibilities shift. Eventually, the next generation takes the lead, but the farm continues and so do the relationships that helped build it.
Today, Conner and Travis work with Margaret, Charles and Lem on an operation Margaret and L.J. began generations ago. The names and faces on both sides of the relationship have changed over time, but the connection between the Russell family and Farm Credit has endured.
That is what agricultural lending looks like when measured not in loan terms, but in generations. For 80 years, AgTexas has had the privilege of being part of the Russell family’s story.
