Agriculture and entrepreneurship share a common thread. Both fields rely on innovation, adaptability and risk-taking to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. As such, entrepreneurs in agriculture leverage their creativity and business sense to identify inefficiencies, solve problems, and capitalize on emerging trends and market opportunities.

That spirit of entrepreneurship is alive and well in Texas Tech University’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, which strives to instill these skills in its graduates.

“The Davis College has so many options and opportunities for students to explore, and each of our majors can lead to so many possible careers,” Cox said.  “Students from every major in the Davis College learn skills that will benefit entrepreneurship- leadership, teamwork, communications, and time management.”

Robert Cox, Ph.D., the associate dean for academic and student programs in the Davis College, oversees development of activities and programs that support students in the college.  

Davis College courses, Cox said, help students gain invaluable experiences and knowledge but also foster a diverse array of skill development that have a profound and tangible impact across various career paths. From honing communication skills to mastering technical expertise, the Davis College serves as a dynamic incubator for personal and professional development.

Foote Family Meats: Becoming Fully Integrated 

Megan and Garrett Foote are two Davis College graduates who saw an opportunity to fill a market need and turned it into a family business. 

The couple returned to Garrett’s family ranch in Clovis, New Mexico, after graduating from Texas Tech. Megan earned her degree in agricultural communications in 2016 and Garrett received an animal science degree in 2015. Garrett then earned a law degree from the Texas Tech School of Law and practiced law for a few years before they decided to return to the family cattle operation. 

In 2019, the Footes were running about 50,000 head of cattle each year on 10,000 acres of land. Megan and Garrett decided to run around 6,000 head of cattle away from the family’s herd. They also began locally selling whole and halves of beef. 

“We put a post on Facebook and said, ‘Hey we’re selling wholes and halves,’” Garrett said. “What we were finding was, it’s a big financial commitment to buy a whole or half of a beef.” 

Garrett said they saw a need for selling smaller quantities when one in every 10 calls was someone wanting to buy a half or whole beef, but he felt there was so much opportunity in between. Seizing the opportunity to fill a market need, and the idea of Foote Family Meats came to life. 

Megan said she quit her job of working remotely with a public relations firm to help push the local beef business along. They began selling cuts of beef out of a refrigerated truck for local pickup and even started to ship to different states.

Sourcing a large portion of their meat from the cattle finishing segment of the family ranch, they also began buying higher quality cuts of meat and fish from other producers. Garrett said they often sell out of their premium cuts quickly. This combination of locally sourced meats and carefully curated selections of protein ensured a diverse and enticing array of options for their customers that cater to a wide range of tastes and preferences.  

“Our focus is on our homegrown, dry-aged premium beef,” Garrett said. “When you go in [to the meat shop], you know we have a fresh meat counter where you can get predominantly high choice or prime quality product.” 

As dedicated beef producers, Megan and Garrett take pride in being able to provide their customers with high quality cuts of meat that reflect their commitment to excellence. Through their business, they strive to educate consumers about the vital role their beef plays in nourishing communities while also promoting transparency and fostering connections between consumers and the source of their food. 

“A lot of people think that homegrown means 100% grass-fed,” Megan said. 

They ensure their customers understand the quality of their grain-finished beef is not less than grass-fed. If there are customers that have their heart set on grass-fed, Megan makes sure to connect them to a source they know meets their standards.  

While the idea of the business started as just a meat shop, it has opened many doors. Though there are no set plans, the idea of becoming a fully integrated cattle business is their next goal.  

When Garrett and Megan first moved back to New Mexico, it was primarily a cow-calf operation, but with their meat shop, they keep 80 to 100 head around to finish out for harvesting. They hope to have a USDA inspected kill floor in the next phase of their operation to be more involved in the farm-to-fork process.  

With a variety of careers finding a passion and exploring them is important. Taking opportunities that peak interest is important even if they end up not being the right fit.  

“Finding really good mentors or people you admire, and you feel like there’s a lot you can learn from them, there’s a lot of value in that,” Megan said.  

Burklee Hill: Generations of Entrepreneurs 

For Chace Hill, being an entrepreneur means wearing many different hats. The owner of Burklee Hill Vineyards, graduated from Texas Tech in 2006 with a degree in horticulture. As a fifth-generation farmer in the Lubbock area, Hill had always planned to continue working on the family farm. 

“I grew up 30 miles away from [Tech], I’ve been a fan my whole life,” Hill said. “It was just a natural fit, plus it was easy for me to still work at the family farm and go to tech.”

For generations, the Hill family has cultivated crops like cucumbers for pickles, soybeans, and they were one of the first families to farm peanuts in the Lubbock area. Entrepreneurship is deeply woven into the history of the Hill family and not only in crop cultivation.

Hill’s family got into the grape-growing business in 2000 when his father started their vineyard. Having had great success with a variety of different crops, wine grapes were no different for the Hills, Chace said. By 2010, the family was farming 55 acres of grapes.  

With growing numbers of vineyards in Texas and only so many wineries, Hill said the vineyard found itself in the middle of an overproduction period. Hill said the family decided it was time to venture into the winery side of the industry. 

“When I started, there were maybe 23 wineries in the whole state,” Hill said. “Over the past 20 years, Texas has changed.” 

After two years of owning Trilogy Cellars, his grasp for building businesses did not halt at the winery. In March of 2020, Burklee Hill came to Lubbock serving their locally grown wine in their restaurant.  

“It takes a special person to [own a business],” Hill said. “I think that people are just born with that mindset.”  

Hill’s mindset certainly served him well when less than two weeks after opening Burklee Hill, COVID came into the picture, shutting down his business. While most businesses struggled to stay afloat, Hill came out on the other side.  

Hill’s journey as a business owner embodies his family’s entrepreneurial spirit and the real-world skills he learned in the Davis College.  

“It’s all going to be hard work in the end, but if you’re going to be working hard, work hard towards something you love,” Hill said.  

… if you’re going to be working hard, work hard towards something you love.

Chace Hill

Big Wicks: Looking to the Future 

Wes Wicker, owner of Big Wick’s stumbled into his business as a Texas Tech student after tasting a jalapeño glaze at the 6666 Ranch. Falling in love with the flavors, 

Wicker said he was inspired to create his own rendition. After perfecting his recipe, he shared this concoction with friends and family who encouraged him to sell the jelly for a little extra cash.  

“When I was in high school, my best friend’s grandmother had a garden and did a bunch of canning,” said Wicker, who graduated from Texas Tech in 2014 with a degree in agricultural education. 

“I was always kind of intrigued by that, and then as soon as I had jalapeño jelly, I knew I wanted to try making some.” 

Over the course of the next year, Wicker sold approximately 600 jars through his network of friends and on Facebook, all while balancing his studies at Texas Tech. However, as graduation neared, his small business had to be temporarily shelved. It was not until nearly seven years later, after entering the workforce, the idea of producing and selling the jelly resurfaced. 

On his first date with his eventual wife, Sarah, Wes shared his history with jalapeno jelly over an appetizer at dinner.  

 “She said, ‘Well, you have to make it for me sometime.’” Wicker said. “She didn’t even know if she was going to see me again since it was our first date.” 

Wicker said this encouraged him to start selling the jelly again through a post on Facebook.  

The product quickly gained popularity and Big Wick’s was born. In March 2022, the Wickers finally found themselves in a facility that allowed them to meet their production demand. In October 2022, the business finally became a full priority.  

Big Wick’s products are distributed nationwide, but is mostly sold in Texas. While smaller orders are shipped, Wes personally delivers product to certain restaurants and stores. 

Wes said he hopes to eventually grow his own jalapeños. He has plans to integrate education into his operation someday by offering tours at his facility.  

“I think it’d be cool to have a place where the schools here could take kids for field trips,” Wes said. 

Toddi Vodka: Threads of Tradition  

For Jennifer Ritz, owning a business is more than just the opportunity to be her own boss. As the co-owner of Toddi Vodka, she and her twin sister, Allison Love, developed their brand with the mission to create an experience for their customers. 

A Davis College alumnus, Ritz earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications in 1994 and a master’s degree in agricultural science in 1995. 

For 25 years, Ritz has served as the associate editor of Texas Tech’s magazine, the Texas Techsan. Though also an editor of a magazine, all her free time goes into her business, Toddi. 

After a career in communications, Ritz, made the jump into the beverage business. Ritz’s brother-in-law, Doug Love built a distillery in Granbury, Texas, with the plan to make whiskey, but they decided in the meantime to make vodka since production times are much quicker. 

Though the distillery was built to produce whiskey, the sisters realized in the meantime vodka could be made at a faster rate. Ritz said she and her sister began planning to create a ready-to-drink cocktail and began planning in late 2019.  

When 2020 rolled around and the sisters were ready to get the business moving. COVID came into the picture shortly after, putting the world on pause. The sisters then decided to do every step in the process themselves and went forward with their business, despite this pandemic.   

“My sister and I both work hand in hand,” Ritz said.  

Ritz said the pair tries to keep their business fun, from their social media presence down to their interactions with employees and customers. Working with family can be intimidating, but having the same taste makes things a little easier, Ritz said. Their love of Spanish art was the inspiration for their bottle label that features a bright background. 

The inviting brand of their products created exactly what Ritz said she hoped it would. Ritz recalls being out all-day riding horses with her sister, knowing when evening rolled around everyone was gathering to be together. She said the business’s goal was to inspire people to gather to reconnect and enjoy a drink like her family has always done.   

 Just as her brand fosters welcoming spaces, Texas Tech alumni pursue diverse careers using skills and networks from their education. Their paths show the many opportunities for those who embrace change and follow their passions.

 Looking at the abundance of career options post-graduation can be intimidating. Texas Tech alumni have been there and used their education at Texas Tech to follow a different path.  

“There’s almost nothing you do that you can’t undo,” Jennifer Ritz said.  

Jennifer has always taken comfort in this idea, and her career path is a testament to taking risks fearlessly.

A Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Many Red Raiders hold fond memories of their time in college, whether it was memories made with friends or important lessons from impactful professors. Cox said entrepreneurs, no matter the degree, can draw on their education and experiences at Texas Tech.   

“Even if a student’s eventual career is not related to their degree, they have outstanding learning experiences and they’ve developed such great human skills that they’ll be successful,” 

Cox said.   

The Davis College offers more than just a place to pursue higher education or check off requirements for a certain career. The Davis College fosters students exploring and learning skills like leadership, communication, and teamwork that have assisted students in every major.  

“TTU has developed the “Innovation Hub”, which assists students in developing new ideas and then marketing and producing new products. This center provides a great culture of innovation and entrepreneurial thinking for students across the university, and in our college,” Cox said. 

The value of higher education extends beyond a classroom or a textbook. Hill said the experiential learning opportunities he experienced in the Davis College were particularly impactful when starting their own business. 

“I really enjoyed all my labs at the greenhouse,” Hill said. “I feel like lab is where you actually learn. Everything you learn out of the book, that’s what you put it into practice.” 

Like Hill in his horticulture program, Garrett Foote also found value in the tangible learning opportunities during his degree program in animal science and while participating on the livestock judging team. 

“Dr. Rathmann was my judging coach,” Garrett said. “There’s stuff that comes up all the time on the farm that ties back to that.” 

Megan said, she continues to maintain the connections she formed while at Texas Tech. 

“I think that’s the most undervalued thing about going to college – the connections you make,” Megan said.  

Ritz agrees that networking opportunities and relationship development through college experiences are important when considering starting your own business.

“I look at how many connections I made during my time at Texas Tech and how many of those people I’m still in touch with,” Ritz said. “I can’t stress enough the importance of getting involved, getting to know people, getting to know your professors, too.

Ritz underscored the importance of forging connections during her time at Texas Tech, emphasizing the significance of involvement and building relationships as a pivotal point in her life. 

“I think there is no better place to start your grown-up life or your professional career than Texas Tech,” Ritz said. “We offer a great all-around experience and an amazing culture.”  

Tessa Taylor, Lead Writer; Shayla Jones, Photo Director; Hailey Crumpton, Design Coordinator; Elizabeth Daniel, Digital and Advertising Manager; Jacob Walters, Digital and Advertising Manager

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