In 1988, dairyman Pete Schouten, a California native, ventured to Texas. “I came for the opportunity to get started [on my own],” Schouten says. “You couldn’t get started in California – not at a low number of animals. At that time, Texas was great. Now it’s just like the rest of the nation. Not a whole heck of a lot of anything.” He settled in Hico, Texas, and ended up marrying his landlady, Nova, who was raised on a dairy farm in the area. Although she never disliked the farm, Nova pursued a career in Stephenville, working at Tarleton State University.