THE EMPIRE AG STORY
Empire Ag came the way most worthwhile things do: quietly and out of necessity. No launch party or branding exercise, just a growing frustration with the way production agriculture was expected to operate inside systems that were never built for it.
Jonathon Haralson grew up with six generations of Texas agricultural heritage behind him, but by the books, he is a first-generation operator. He built his own operation, made his own financial decisions, and carried the full weight of starting from scratch while honoring the legacy he came from. He knew the rhythm of the seasons, the risk baked into every choice, and the pressure that builds when the numbers and the work refuse to agree.
His time as a commodities broker exposed something that never sat right. The financial world had tools, models, and strategies that could shift a farm’s future, and yet most producers were left navigating blind. The people who fed the country were expected to operate with far less support than the people who traded on it.
The question that sparked Empire Ag was direct: Why should producers carry the highest risk with the least access to strategy?
Jonathon started answering it through consulting. Practical, honest, straightforward guidance shaped by production agriculture and informed by markets, risk, and real operational pressure.
As the work grew, Empire Ag needed structure that matched its ambition. That shift began when Holly Haralson stepped into the company.
Holly brought the precision of a pharmacist, the discipline of someone who has managed complex systems, and the financial instincts of a lifelong bookkeeper inside a multigenerational farm. She built Empire Financial Services from the ground up and turned it into a division producers could trust with their books, their planning, and their future with clean reporting, practical advisory, and succession planning that respected both the business and the people behind it. Holly did not add layers. She added stability.
The next evolution came when the company’s voice, strategy, and identity needed to grow at the same speed as its work. For years, Brooke Taylor had been advising from the outside — shaping brand architecture, communication, and long-term positioning rooted in both agency work and rural lived experience. She recognized what Empire Ag was becoming long before the company named it.
Brooke built her own career where ranch-hand grit meets high-caliber strategy. She understood how to build systems, tell a story with weight, and create momentum in places where resources are thin but conviction is strong. When Empire Ag was ready to formalize a brand strategy division, Jonathon and Holly asked her to join not as a contractor but as an owner.
Today, Brooke leads Empire Ag’s Brand Strategy division as an owner, guiding the company’s voice, direction, and strategic presence across all divisions.
Together, the three of them shaped Empire Ag into something rare in agriculture: a full-stack partner built on lived experience, operational clarity, financial discipline, and a shared belief that producers deserve the same level of support and sophistication found in any other industry.
Empire Ag now operates across three divisions, each tied to the same purpose
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Empire Ag Consulting
Empire Ag Consulting works directly with producers to refine business models, improve operational efficiency, and establish measurable performance benchmarks. Our consulting process ensures every client operates with a clear plan, defined metrics, and a demonstrated ability to execute.
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Empire Financial Services
Empire Financial Services provides transparent, institution-level reporting, cash flow management, and bookkeeping solutions. This ensures financial data is accurate, verified, and consistent.
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Brand Strategy
Your brand should work as hard as you do. Empire Ag Brand Strategy helps agriculture-based businesses, entrepreneurs, and rural brands clarify who they are, communicate what they do, and connect with the right audience.
Empire Ag exists because three people saw the same gap from three angles.
A first-generation operator with six generations of heritage who understood risk.
A pharmacist-turned-operations leader who understood systems.
A strategist who understood story, structure, and growth.
Together, they have built the partner producers have always deserved: disciplined, informed, and committed to helping operations make decisions with confidence, year after year.