In 1982, a young West Texas farmer named Mark Schoepf leased his first 160 acres, which he lovingly refers to as the “soup bowl” farm. Although Mark was born into a cotton farming family, as a beginning farmer, he needed financing to purchase a cultivator and an irrigation motor. He decided to talk to the local banker. When he was questioned about his decision to pursue farming, Mark knew he was at the wrong bank. He decided to go to the Production Credit Association (PCA), which is where his father, Marvin, and his older brother, Brian, were already customers. An hour later he had a loan. To this day, the loyalty the Schoepf family has shown to AgTexas is a testament to the strength of the relationships between the member-owners and the people within the association..
Wesley, Matt, Ty, Brian, Marvin, Mark & Josh / Pictured (L to R)
Matt, Ty, Josh, Wesley, Mark and Brian (L to R)
The Schoepf’s don’t hide the fact that over the years, other banks have tried to obtain their business. However, their loyalty to AgTexas has not wavered. Matt spoke from the younger generation’s perspective; he stated that his loyalty stems from the fact that “AgTexas trusted me enough (as a younger farmer) -- so I’ll trust them”. Marvin made the point that the other banks “can’t touch AgTexas on terms, especially when you factor in the dividend.” The dividend he referenced is the performance-based cash back patronage program available to eligible stockholders.
“AgTexas is more of a partner than a bank, been with me through some real difficult times. AgTexas has been loyal to me, so I’m going to be loyal to AgTexas.” ~ Mark Schoepf
Marvin Schoepf is the patriarch of the family. He began farming in 1961 and devoted 54 years to his trade before retiring a couple of years ago. Listening to Marvin reminisce about how his family came to call Crosby County home is a favorite moment from the time spent visiting with the Schoepf men. As the story goes, the Schoepf ancestors were cotton farmers in Bell County but left in 1927 in an effort to outrun the cotton boll weevil; at the time, the pest hadn’t made it that far west. Time would reveal how respected the Schoepf name would become in the West Texas farming community.
John & Josh Schoepf (L to R)
Marvin’s sons, Brian and Mark, have three sons that are actively farming and current AgTexas customers. The operation has grown just a bit, according to Marvin, the group farms roughly 11,000 acres. Matt is Brian’s son and has two boys of his own that enjoy time on the farm. Mark has two sons, John and Josh.
For Matt, John, and Josh, AgTexas was a natural choice, “it just made sense.” All of the Schoepf’s appreciate the “one-stop-shop” experience AgTexas offers with regard to their financing and insurance needs.
AgTexas is honored to feature the Schoepf Family as 2020 Faces of AgTexas story. We're proud of the relationships we have built with this family over the last 40 years & look forward to the next 40. We appreciate the contributions they have made to agriculture and are here to support them for generations to come. Especially as they all respect the words of Marvin’s father, “They ain’t making more dirt, better buy it when you get the chance.”
