Rabb Farms: Rooted in Legacy, Growing Toward the Future

Spend a day with Todd and Kayla Otahal at their farm in Robstown, Texas, and you’ll walk away with more than just a dusting of cotton lint on your jeans. You’ll leave with a renewed appreciation for the grit, faith, and heart it takes to keep American farming alive.

Rabb Farms is more than 4,000 acres of crops and cattle. It’s a living legacy. Todd named his operation “Rabb Farms” after the community of Rabb, Texas, where his grandfather first got his start. After returning from World War II with the help of the GI Bill, his grandfather bought nearly 900 acres – land that is still farmed today. When he passed away, Todd’s dad was just 10 years old, the youngest of six children. Todd’s grandmother held the land and later leased it to Todd so he could begin farming on his own.

Today, Todd farms full-time alongside his dad, Ben, while Kayla balances life as a local schoolteacher, homemaker, photographer, and community builder. Together, they grow cotton, sorghum, corn, and raise a small cattle herd.

Beyond their own fields, Todd serves as a board member of the Nueces County Farm Bureau and is active in APEX (Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender) model development, while Kayla is known for her photography and community contributions. Both were selected in 2023 to represent Texas Farm Credit in the Tenth District Farm Credit Council’s Young Leaders program, a recognition of their leadership and forward-thinking approach.

Where Futures Took Root

Todd and Kayla first met as teenagers through their high school FFA program. Todd went on to earn a degree in agricultural economics from Texas Tech University and gained early professional experience with Bs, while Kayla pursued her teaching degree at Tarleton. Later, they returned home to South Texas, determined to build both a farm and a life together, and that’s exactly what they’ve done.

When they finally bought land of their own, it was more than a transaction. It was the moment two young dreamers became stewards of a family legacy. “Todd wanted to farm, and I wanted to be with Todd,” Kayla laughs. “And here we are.” What started as a dream scribbled on scratch paper has grown into Rabb Farms, a thriving operation with deep roots and a bright future.

Raising the Next Generation

For Todd and Kayla, the heart of Rabb Farms is their two children. Clara (10) and Calvin (6) represent the sixth generation of Otahals learning what it means to live close to the land. Clara is already a show pig champion. She has three for this show season adorably named after Lainey Wilson and her songs. Calvin wants nothing more than to climb behind the wheel of any tractor, cotton picker, or piece of big green machinery. He’ll even demonstrate how to bite a cottonseed to test if it’s ready for harvest (though he’ll admit, “it doesn’t taste very good”).

By late August, the fields are lined with bales of cotton taller than the kids themselves. Clara and Calvin run through the fields like it’s their very own playground. To them, this is everyday life. To the rest of us, it’s a glimpse into the lifestyle that keeps American homes stocked with everyday essentials.

Even with their busy schedules, Todd and Kayla make sure their kids experience both farm life and the simple fun of being kids – from baseball practice to tumbling lessons – while learning the values of faith, resiliency, and family. A well-rounded, wholesome upbringing if there ever was one.

Cotton: Closer to You Than You Think

The next time you pull a soft T-shirt over your head, dry off with a fluffy towel, swap out your bed sheets, or grab Q-Tips from the cabinet, remember families like the Otahals. Cotton isn’t just in your clothes; it’s in coffee filters, gauze pads, makeup removal pads, bookbinding, and even the bills in your wallet. That’s the quiet impact of American farmers: their work touches nearly every corner of our daily lives.

The Business of Farming

When people picture farming, they usually imagine tractors plowing neat rows and bales of cotton stacked like marshmallows. But Todd’s reality is more complex. He manages employees (including seasonal workers on H-2A visas from South Africa who swap a little rugby talk), negotiates with lenders, navigates unpredictable markets, invests in expensive equipment, worries over water and weather, and makes decisions that can mean the difference between a good year and financial strain.

Farming is one of the riskiest businesses in America. Input costs like seed, fertilizer, equipment, and labor, all come before the first crop is even planted. One storm, one drought, or one market crash can wipe out a season’s worth of work. And yet, year after year, Todd and Kayla show up with faith and resilience, ready to plant again.

Growing a Legacy

The Otahals have been Texas Farm Credit customers since 2012, utilizing resources and support to grow Rabb Farms into what it is today. They credit much of their growth to their partnership with Texas Farm Credit. Todd recalls that Farm Credit gave him his very first operating loan – “took a chance” on him when he was just starting out and has been by their side ever since.

Over the years, that relationship has expanded to include equipment loans for combines and cotton pickers, as well as land loans that tie directly to their family’s legacy and the goal of one day passing the farm on to Clara and Calvin.

“Cash is like oxygen,” Todd says, borrowing a Warren Buffett quote. “Farm Credit provides that lifeline for us whenever we need it, and a farmer can’t survive without it.”

Texas Farm Credit – headquartered right around the corner from Rabb Farms in Robstown – knows what it takes to operate in South Texas. For the Otahals, that local knowledge and steady support have been the difference between a dream and a thriving operation.

“As a lender, it’s been an honor to walk alongside Todd and Kayla as their operation has grown,” says Connor Cross, Relationship Manager at Texas Farm Credit. “We believe in what they’re building at Rabb Farms – not just for today, but for the generations that will follow. Supporting families like the Otahals is exactly why we’re here.”

Advocates for Agriculture

This November, Todd and Kayla will travel to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Farm Credit Fly-In. While there, they’ll meet with members of Congress to stress the urgency of passing a strong Farm Bill that supports America’s farmers and ranchers.

They’ll also host a booth at the Farm Credit Marketplace event, an interactive showcase designed to remind congressional leaders just how much daily life depends on agriculture, from the food on our tables to the clothes in our closets. The Otahals’ booth will spotlight cotton, sharing the many ways this single crop keeps us comfortable, cozy, and clothed.

Why It Matters

Standing among towering bales of freshly harvested cotton in late August, you realize the scale of what’s grown here. Clara and Calvin give each other a boost to climb a smaller bale, laughing the whole way. From that vantage point, it’s easy to see what’s at stake: a future that depends on families like the Otahals.

Behind every T-shirt, cotton ball, or set of sheets made with American cotton is a family like the Otahals. Supporting American farmers means ensuring the survival of a way of life – raising kids in the dust and sun of South Texas, betting it all on the land, and quietly producing the everyday essentials that make your life a little softer.