.gif)
Arthur Leopold is honored to be selected as the 2024 Colorado County Farmer of the Year Award by the Colorado County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Leopold has been planting crops for over 70 years on the same land in Nada, Texas he was born and raised on. He is the third generation to cultivate the land purchased by his grandfather, Chirstian Leopold in 1890 after immigrating to the U.S. from Switzerland.
At that time, it was mostly sod with no drainage. About 130 years later, the land features well-tended rows, three family homes and a family-owned grain storage and feed business.
Farming has always been a family affair and a way of life for Leopold. It functioned as a means of survival, as well as his pride and joy.
Leopold, the 10th child of 12 total, began tending the land with his brothers and sisters since he could walk.
Growing up during the Great Depression, Leopold remembers what it was like before electricity was readily available in his community. In his youth, he learned the importance of community and keeping a strong faith in God, dedicating countless hours and support to his neighbors and St. Mary’s Parish over the years.
Utilizing his talents in construction and carpentry, Leopold and his brother Frederick “Fritz” Leopold constructed grain storage bins on their property in 1976 as there were limited places to dry and store grain. Local farmers noticed the construction and sought to store their grain there as well. This led to the establishment of the business, Leopold Grain, Inc.
Leopold had little interest in supervising the grain business, and he left the company solely in the hands of his brother Fritz while he returned to his passion. He cultivated the land each season, planting crops of cotton, milo, soybeans, rice and field corn, his most common crop.
Leopold also maintained a personal garden where he grew vegetables and fruits such as potatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, green beans, strawberries and sweet corn to feed his family and the local community. He still harvests the pecans from the over 100-year-old trees his mother planted, and his wife Betty creates sweet and sour dill pickles that are also a source of family pride.
Leopold’s six daughters and 14 grandchildren have fond memories of spending time in the gardens and feasting on the fruits of the labor. They learned of the sacrifice and hard work farming requires, especially in Texas’ sweltering heat. Through Leopold’s example, his family learned that they could accomplish hard and great things, something that becomes easier when working with other likeminded companions.
Leopold did not always have the latest farming equipment, but he managed to upgrade and customize much of his own equipment with the combined ingenuity and skill of him and his nephew Anthony “Tony” Leopold. The two found creative solutions to problems they identified and found ways to use the tools and equipment they already had.
Leopold often said, “If something needs to be done, get it done now. Don’t wait.”
Leopold often led by example and was usually the first one out in the field. Some even said that the sight of his travels down the road in his combine was a sign that harvest-time had officially begun.
Farming, while rewarding, is a demanding occupation. There were many years Leopold would be out irrigating the crops throughout the night during dry spells and droughts. The calling of a farmer is not for the faint of heart, but the payoff of a well-tended field is the ultimate reward. According to Leopold, there’s no better view than a fully sprouted field of crops from the top of his combine.
After Leopold harvested the last kernel of corn from the 2023 harvest, a harvest season Leopold lauded as “his best crop yet,” he finally announced that he was ready to retire at the age of 92. Leopold’s refusal to retire for so many years is a testament to his faith, his love for the land and his satisfaction in doing what he believes is the ‘Lord’s work.’
