Healthy Living and Small Business Success in Elgin, Texas

If you’re looking for the charm of a picturesque small town coupled with beautiful surroundings and rural roots that support agricultural businesses, you need to go about 20 minutes east of Austin to Elgin.

Founded as a railroad town, the city has been an agricultural hub since it was settled. Once dominated by cotton, area fields now produce corn, sorghum, and wheat. The “Sausage Capitol of Texas” has roots in agriculture dating back to the late 1800’s. It’s also capitalized on the Blackland Prairies, which have made agriculture successful in the area for over a century and a half.

Kaley Frye, Assistant Director of the Elgin Economic Development Corporation, says, “One of the many reasons people choose to move to Elgin is it’s close enough to Austin while providing a peaceful escape from the city’s hustle and bustle. Housing in Elgin is also notably more affordable, with typical home prices being about half of those in Austin. And we attract a diverse group of businesses, including ones focused on agriculture and food production.”

Dedicated to Agriculture

Elgin’s dedication to agriculture has taken many forms. In 2010, Elgin joined the Austin Community College District, which provides a unique sustainable agriculture study program. The community also established the Elgin Local Food Network, which evolved into the Texas Center for Local Food to enhance the vitality of the area’s economy and improve healthy food access by supporting family farms and ranches.

Elgin’s agricultural tradition continues today. Elgin is home to many small farms that work hard to provide food for their community. These folks have an eye on the post-pandemic future of farming, bringing attention to the need for agricultural practices that restore the soil, increase biodiversity, promote animal welfare, and center the well-being of farmers and farmworkers as a critical part of community resilience.

Greener Pastures

One of these operations is Greener Pastures Chicken. This agricultural enterprise is the brainchild of founders, local farmer Cameron Molberg and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, who share a passion for high-quality food and environmental conservation. They aim to promote regenerative organic farming practices and increase access to nutritious food in Central Texas. Founded in 2018, USDA Certified Organic Greener Pastures provides delicious, humane, and affordable organic, pasture-raised chicken for retail and wholesale purchase. In 2023, Greener Pastures Chicken opened an onsite USDA-certified processing facility in Elgin to handle 45,000 chickens weekly.
The Greener Pastures team combines expertise in organic agriculture, poultry science, and livestock nutrition to ensure the chickens always have ample care, space, and enrichment. Greener Pastures Chicken was "named one of the top organic poultry producers in the country" based on "Cornucopia's 5-bird organic poultry producers" in 2019.

Cultivating Entrepreneurial Flavor

Growing healthy products and healthy communities are motivators for many of the agricultural operations in Elgin. Many start as small businesses and expand through their innovative dedication. 

Coyote Creek Farm, founded by Jeremiah Cuningham in 1997, is a result of his visions of lush natural pastures, happy cows and the “world’s best eggs.” Today, his son Rob continues this trailblazing tradition, bringing pasture-raised eggs to the market and opening Texas’ first certified organic feed mill. 

Two lifelong friends, Adam Hall and Daniel Cross, are also blazing trails at Burgeon Mushrooms. Noticing a high demand but low supply of culinary mushrooms in the greater Austin area, the friends opened Burgeon in 2022 as Elgin’s first mushroom farm. Today, they cultivate culinary mushrooms with as few chemicals and biodegradable supplies as possible. 

When challenged by his own son’s battle with substance misuse, Ranch House Recovery (RHR) and Simple Promise Farms originator Brandon Guinn, created an addiction recovery program that revolved around small-scale farming and service to the community in 2019. Since that time, RHR and Simple Promise have helped over 400 clients complete the program.

New Leaf Agriculture was born out of the Multicultural Refugee Coalition (MRC), which opened its doors in 2009 to positively impact the livelihood of refugees in Austin and surrounding areas. New Leaf is a 20-acre sustainable farm in Elgin offering a path forward for their employees to living wages, a higher quality of life and deeper connection with the community.

Yegua Creek Farms is another local gem using chemical-free practices founded on 80 acres with a spotlight on growing and processing pecans.

Get a taste of the farm

Frye notes that Elgin offers residents a high quality of life with weekly events in its historic downtown.  If you’re looking to have an immediate and direct impact on local farmers, you’re encouraged to head to the Elgin Farmers’ Markets every Thursday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Veteran’s Memorial Park in downtown Elgin. The vibrant market showcases numerous thriving local agricultural businesses, such as Burgeon Mushrooms, Yegua Creek Farms and Simple Promise Farms, alongside local farms and ranches like Shepard’s Flock Farm, Olson Family Farm, Headlong Farm, and Amber Oaks Ranch. Local volunteers run the farmer’s market, which is dedicated to supporting local farmers and building the community. Besides the excellent produce and handmade goods, the market hosts live music and a seasonal monthly outdoor yoga class.

For a taste of good, wholesome farm-to-table grown food in Elgin, try Firewild. An offshoot of its full-service Austin-based catering and hospitality namesake, Firewild is the “big little café” in historic downtown Elgin. There is a brunch café, community gathering place, co-working space, and more in its 3,000 square feet. Their customizable menus are in keeping with Elgin’s agricultural approach and feature seasonal, local, and sustainable ingredients.

Everything grows well in Elgin, Texas

Elgin is good for business and good for growing families. With its diverse small business mix, proximity to major corporations like Tesla and Samsung, and attractive standard of living, it’s an excellent place to be. If you want to learn more about moving your family or business to Elgin, please contact us today.