R Family Farms in Kansas: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
R Family Farms is a specialty hog operation at Lebanon, Kansas, owned by Kaden and Emily Roush, raising Berkshire hogs with 75 sows that farrow year-round. K-State Research and Extension profiled the Roush family in 2022.
| Location | Lebanon, Kansas |
|---|---|
| Founded | New hog facility broke ground in 2015; first pigs arrived January 2016 |
| Sectors | Berkshire hogs; specialty pork |
| Scale | 75 sows farrowing year-round |
| Why it is notable | Niche pork marketing, including samples shipped to Japan in 2019; K-State profile |
| Ownership | Kaden and Emily Roush |
| Official website | R Family Farms website |
History of R Family Farms
Hog production was a major part of Kaden Roush's family operation until the 1990s hog market crash. The family later launched R Family Farms as a specialty enterprise, breaking ground on a new facility in 2015. The first pigs arrived in January 2016.
Kaden grew up on a crop and livestock farm with five generations in agriculture. Emily was raised on a wheat, corn and soybean farm near Iola. Kaden works as a loan officer at a local bank, Emily is Lebanon's city clerk, and the family also owns a local grocery store.
What R Family Farms Grows and Raises
R Family Farms raises Berkshire hogs. Seventy-five sows farrow all year, and litters are raised to market weight. The farm combines old-style outdoor production with modern technology.
Marketing is specialized. About half the meat is sold under a private label and half to vendors in Missouri, working with Paradise Locker Meats in Paradise, Missouri. That arrangement began after a national organic grocery chain canceled the family's contract. Samples were shipped to Japan in 2019.
How R Family Farms Makes Money
Private label pork
About half of the pork is sold under the farm's own label, which captures more of the retail value.
Vendor sales in Missouri
The other half goes to vendors in Missouri through the Paradise Locker Meats relationship.
Off-farm income
Kaden's banking job and the family grocery store give financial stability while the hog enterprise grows.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from R Family Farms
Niche pays after commodity swings. Hogs fell out of favor in the 1990s, and the family returned with Berkshire pork aimed at specialty buyers.
Recover quickly from a lost contract. A canceled organic chain contract led to a new locker plant partnership.
Use off-farm income to fund growth.
Berkshire hogs that arrived in January 2016 have apparently done more traveling than most of us, with samples headed to Japan, and that qualifies as high farm satire. farm.FM keeps the farm humor friendly toward 75 sows farrowing all year. The ranch humor here adds that a loan officer who also raises pigs knows exactly what a balanced ledger needs, and our farm jokes stay gentle.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
How to Contact R Family Farms
Website: https://www.rfamilyfarmsks.com/
The domain rfamilyfarmsks.com appeared in a 2022 K-State Research and Extension story; I could not open the site, so no address, phone or email is listed. Confirm through the website. Information as of November 2026.
R Family Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- R Family Farms - Operation website
- K-State Research and Extension profile - Land-grant extension story on the Roush family
- Salina Post - Local news coverage of the Roush family
- USDA NASS Kansas Hogs and Pigs - Official Kansas hog inventory report
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Official county and state data on Kansas farms and sales
R Family Farms FAQ
Where is R Family Farms?
Lebanon, Kansas.
What breed does it raise?
Berkshire hogs.
How big is it?
Seventy-five sows farrow year-round.
Who owns it?
Kaden and Emily Roush.
R Family Farms is a small but instructive hog business. See more Kansas operations in our Kansas farms guide.