Broken Halo Grass Farm: Growing hope and healing, one bale at a time

For Capital Farm Credit member Pamela Garrett, agriculture is much more than just producing a product. It’s a pathway to grow people, purpose and possibilities through sustainable agriculture.  

Garrett, a former educator, runs Broken Halo Grass Farm in the South Texas town of San Benito. Through the activities on the farm, youth and veterans are educated about agriculture, but the farm also provides a place for hope and healing.

Broken Halo all started with a land loan from Capital Farm Credit back in 2013 to purchase a piece of land with a few existing horse stables. Since then, CFC has been there to help Garrett expand her operation with additional financial assistance.

The farm, called Duck N’ Stables, was to be a family farm with horses, but as Garrett brought her students to the stables, it became much more than that.

The farm expanded its scope and has become a hands-on learning space that features 21 horses, two goats, several ducks and chickens, six miniature Hereford cows, two miniature bulls and a Brahman bull. Students engage in animal care, and sustainable gardening.

“Being out there around the animals and in nature kind of brought something back to them. They were more engaged when they went back to school. They were more eager to learn,” she said.

CFC Relationship Manager Karina Camargo first met Pam and her mother, Ruth, around 2017. She visited the farm to discuss the vision they had for expansion.

“Both Pam and Ruth share a deep passion for their horses and possess extensive knowledge of the industry. This passion has beautifully evolved into a commitment to helping at-risk individuals through their work with animals,” Camargo said.

The operation is called Broken Halo, because it reflects the emotional scars left by childhood trauma and the invisible wounds many veterans carry, Garrett said. It symbolizes the loss of innocence, unspoken pain and the longing to heal.

“It’s a place where people can find purpose, using regenerative farming and nature as tools for recovery and wholeness,” she explained.

Camargo said Broken Halo is a special place that provides an important service to the residents in and around San Benito.

“Their farm is now one of the few places in the Valley offering vital support systems and activities for at-risk individuals—including children, young adults, and veterans. Their unique approach, using animals to teach life skills, is truly inspiring,” she added.

The farm includes an educational branch that offers horsemanship camps, leadership programs and equine-assisted behavioral support for both children, veterans and adults.

“Through animal interactions, we help children and adults build confidence, develop leadership skills and foster emotional regulation,” she said.

As Garrett began harvesting hay for her horses and building educational programs, the operation grew. Now she and her clients work on the farm, selling hay throughout South Texas.

Through their work growing and harvesting hay, the students learn about market analysis, customer relationships and the business side of agriculture while seeing how sustainable practices translate into economic success.

The hay fields transform into dynamic outdoor classrooms. Pastures become therapeutic sanctuaries for healing and growth, and farm equipment evolves into hands-on tools for teaching essential life skills.

“We believe that farms are more than just fields, but they’re a place for living classrooms, places of peace and places where families can kind of come alive together,” she said. “At our farm we always say every bale serves two purposes, because we’re growing it, we’re serving it, and we’re building legacies.”

Garrett was a finalist in Capital Farm Credit’s 2025 GROW your AgriRoots contest, where she won $1,000. She will use her prize money to grow higher-quality hay and create more hands-on activities to help even more clients.

“Capital Farm Credit has been there for my family and me to help us fulfill our dreams of not only having horses and growing hay. It has helped finance dreams of both children and adults through education and healing,” she said.

Are you ready to start or grow your own agribusiness? Contact Capital Farm Credit today!