“Even in the worst of times, there’s money beyond the rows.”
Texas farmer and Marine veteran Orin Romine backs his words with diesel work, wild pig hunts, milo by the basket, and digital tech.
For pennies or dollars, Romine’s side-stream income is centered on a survivor’s straight-shooting perspective: “Find the area where your farm spends the most money and learn to do it yourself. It’s crucial in the early years of a career and always crucial in any years that are tough.”
Tough Numbers
In the parched bleed of soil types between High Plains’ sand, Concho Valley black dirt, and Rolling Plains red dirt, Romine grows hay, grain sorghum, cotton, and wheat on 14,000 rain-fed acres, alongside his father and brother-in-law, in Big Spring, roughly 40 miles east of Midland and 100 miles south of Lubbock.
As the adage rolls, there’s no one more hopeful than a West Texas farmer. “Gotta be,” says 41-year-old Romine, a fourth-generation producer, “when you’re only getting 16-18” of moisture per year.”
Romine’s cotton yields range from 400 lb. to 2 bale per acre, but on most of his ground he shoots for 1 bale per acre. “As things are, if we make the bale, our inputs are above what that bale is valued at. Those are the tough numbers and we have to deal with them.”
Whether in Texas, Illinois, Nebraska, or Mississippi, Romine emphasizes situationally-dependent opportunity. “No matter what state you’re in, the big commonality of farmers is access to some amount of land. There’s a way, regardless of where you’re at, to supplement the grocery bill or reduce pressure in the worst years.”
Eyes Wide Open
In 2001, Romine graduated from high school, entered trade school at Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater, and obtained an associate degree in diesel technology in a year-and-a-half program.
“I already had diesel know-how from being around my grandfather, but I acquired even more learning and added something of value to the family operation by making sure I knew how to keep us from having to take things to the equipment dealer. The extra learning provided me with real skills to bring to the table so my father could justify me as an employee and allow me to start working to someday having my own operation.”
Not so fast, young man, insisted Romine’s father and grandfather: Work, live, and learn off the farm.
“Our family has never, never handed over a legacy,” Romine explains. “Right or wrong, we strongly believe that you go earn a living to understand the world. My dad never wanted me to look over my shoulder at what might have been. When you come back to the farm with eyes wide open, it helps make that commitment certain.”
In 2003, as the Afghan War churned, Romine joined the Marines and was deployed to Afghanistan in 1st Tank Battalion, Company A, as a M1 Abrams tank mechanic—an extreme exercise in discipline that paid off on the farm.
“In the military, we had to do our best with what we had. In a deployment, resources are finite and you can’t get parts. You’re forced to adapt on the go; fix on the go. If you wanted something in the moment, you were responsible to make it right then. Those lessons translated directly back to the farm.”
Diesel and Dust
Stateside, back on Texas dirt, Romine wielded mechanic skills for his father during the day and freelanced at night to earn extra dollars. “That was money freed up from the expense line and allowed margin for me. It’s different on every farm, but find a big hole where your family is dropping money and fill that hole.”
Almost 20 years later, how much money has he kept in-house via diesel know-how? The number may be inestimable, Romine explains. “Just the labor savings alone have to be crazy.
We live in a throw-away culture, but in farming, that attitude wipes you out. If it breaks or wears down, I can fix it and that results in tremendous savings.”
Farmers are among the best on the planet at keeping a machine running and rolling—but there’s always another lesson to grasp, Romine contends. “By nature, farmers fix stuff to stay in business. That is a given on any operation. However, when it comes to diesel or other mechanical areas, my advice is not just to rely on what you know. Take your skills to another level, and that sometimes means going and getting trained—specifically for the purpose of eliminating expense or creating opportunity around your farm.”
Welding is another skill ripe for farmer improvement, Romine suggests. “We all know the saying, ‘What’s the difference between farmers and welders? Not all welders think they can farm.’ Truth is, there’s incredible financial benefit to your operation if you or someone in your outfit polishes your welding skills at specialty training at a local community college or trade school. Gain ability above your farm experience. It translates to real savings later.”
Romine purchased a low-end mill and lathe in his shop—about $5,000 in total cost. He soaks up YouTube lessons to gain an edge. “I’m always seeking people out to sharpen my skills so I can make things right here on the farm and save money. Every lesson means less waiting for parts to ship from the other side of the country. I make it myself.”
Whether diesel, welding, or crafting parts, Romine emphasizes the vertical fit of each acquisition. “Take any one area and it may not save much money, but when you integrate all of those over the long run, and you’re also steadily increasing your knowledge, the value gets incredibly high—especially during planting and harvest. Every little bit you do to increase self-reliance means a huge advantage.”
In 2020, Romine turned from steel to flesh. Time to take on a wild pig plague.
Knock’em Back
Texas is home to 2-plus million wild pigs—and Romine feels the pain. Even in extended late December-January grain sorghum harvest, it’s not unusual for Romine to kill 10-12 wild pigs shooting from the combine platform. In some years, pig depredation prevents planting in susceptible fields. He once maintained a steady regimen of trapping and thermal-vision night shoots, but the control efforts barely made a dent.
Four years back, Romine turned pig presence into a revenue stream by joining with a professional outfitter on a 25-75 split. After a minor investment slapping together a few blinds and refurbishing a section of employee housing, the stage was set. “We got attorneys and drew it all up so that ourselves and our landlords were all protected. Then we gave the outfitter rope to hunt dove and deer, but especially feral hogs.”
The result in year one? A $40,000 return. Knock’em back and put some cash in the box.
“We’re talking about people coming from the East Coast or Idaho or even locals, and sometimes three to four nights per week. We got paid a royalty for people to chase and kill hogs in the open country of West Texas.”
And after four years, the outfitter split has made a significant impact on Romine’s wild pig numbers—and his bottom line. He’s now able to grow grain sorghum in fields previously off-limits due to depredation.
“Doesn’t matter where you farm, the one thing you’ve got for sure is the ability to use land to generate extra income,” Romine says. “Different circumstances and different environment, but I see farmers all around trying new things.”
Pennies to Grow
Farm fresh. Romine cites demand for locally-grown food. “I’ve got livestock friends raising and butchering in their own town. I’ve got friends growing sweet corn and selling local. I’ve got friends growing pick-your-own produce. I’ve sold milo heads in the fall for parties and wedding decorations at $100 a basket and it cost me pennies to grow.”
“There’s not a single person in agriculture that I’m aware of that doesn’t have the ability to grow or raise something that can be sold directly as food. It may require you to work like crazy to get your customer base up, and sometimes build your own market. But the opportunity is everywhere right now.”
And in the future? Romine dives digital.
Pro v Con
Having worked as a beta-tester with Blue River’s autonomous tractor tech, Romine encourages his 14-year-old son, blessed with an affinity for electronics, to learn all things related to programming.
As a member of a regional USDA-ARS oversight committee, Romine has steered his son to participate in a digital research project for yield estimates. “He’s helping with the algorithms in their AI program that detect a head of grain in a milo field with satellite imagery. Digital tech will become useful on the farm in ways we haven’t seen yet, and I want to prepare my son to be able to make or repair as needed. That’s another area where income opportunity will be.”
Romine praises the extreme resiliency of U.S. producers and their ability to adapt in real-time. Speaking bluntly, he also believes the biggest positive of American farmers can be a hindrance: “The biggest pro is self-sufficiency and a humble nature. Guys keep their heads down and work their land. Why can that be a negative? Because sometimes that means a hesitancy to speak up or put yourself out there, and that’s when a farmer misses a chance. You miss seeing revenue opportunity beyond your own rows.”
For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:
Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told
Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market
Priceless Pistol Found After Decades Lost in Farmhouse Attic
