Farmer’s Investment Co.
Invested in Sahuarita’s Success
By Tara Kirkpatrick
On the storied Southern Arizona land that encircles Sahuarita, R. Keith Walden became one of the largest pecan producers in the world.
Today, the company he started, Farmers Investment Co., is one of Sahuarita’s biggest supporters, if not its most fruitful partner.
From donating significant acreage for housing, a high school and a church in the town to hosting annual running events and providing scholarships, the Walden family and FICO are invested in Sahuarita’s success.
“The Waldens have stayed true to their Sahuarita roots by giving back and celebrating the community that has helped them flourish,” FICO’s website proclaims.
In 1914, Bernard Baruch, Joseph Kennedy and J.P. Morgan chose the Santa Cruz Valley here to grow guayule, a source of rubber, because of a feared shortage during World War I. When the project was canceled after the war’s end, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands purchased the land and invested in a cotton-growing operation.
A California farmer, Walden started Farmers Investment Company and was looking for opportunities outside the state. In 1949, he would buy the land after the queen’s death and continue to grow cotton, expanding with an additional land purchase in 1958 and making Sahuarita his company’s official headquarters.
Yet, in 1965, fearing a drop in cotton demand because of the advent of new synthetic fibers and other market factors, Walden experimented with different crops and ultimately switched his crop to pecans. It was a prosperous decision. By 1969, FICO had more than 6,000 acres of planted pecan trees. Today, it yields an average of 2,200 pounds per acre of pecans.
Over the years, the Walden family, which continues to run FICO, has donated hundreds of acres for many community related needs. For example, when the town’s lone high school exceeded capacity in the early 2000s, the Waldens donated the land to build a second one–the now-thriving Walden Grove High School.
“Not only did the Waldens donate land for the high school, but they worked with us on several other issues,” Jay St. John, retired superintendent of Sahuarita Unified School District, wrote in a 2015 editorial for Green Valley News. “We had to put in a septic system, with which the Waldens also helped. We had to build a safe road to access the school, which the Waldens allowed us to do across their land. The Waldens even helped us get drinking water to the campus and to Sahuarita Park.”
For a decade, FICO also ran the Sahuarita Pecan Festival, which became a pivotal family-friendly event and raised more than $120,000 for the community before it came to an end in 2019.
Since 2008, FICO’s annual running events also have made a significant impact on the Sahuarita community. These events have raised close to $20,000 in total donations, benefitting a variety of local organizations, including The Continental School Foundation, The Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber Foundation, the Sahuaro City Music Theater, and the Green Valley Firefighters Charities. Last year, FICO gave out scholarships to four high school students through the Sahuarita-Green Valley Chamber Foundation.
“We firmly believe in the positive impact of fostering these activities, which align with our core objectives of promoting physical and mental well-being, providing vital support to local organizations, fostering a stronger sense of community, and sharing our journey and stories with our neighbors,” said Paula Beemer, FICO’s events director.
READ THE FULL SPECIAL REPORT HERE.
