F.L. Sipes Farms in Kentucky: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
F.L. Sipes Farms in Ekron, Meade County, won the 2021 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award. Fred Sipes started with 50 acres of burley tobacco in 1994 and built a diversified beef, grain and hay operation on karst terrain where protecting groundwater is a daily concern.
| Location | Ekron, Meade County, Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Founded | Fred Sipes began farming in 1994 on land his grandmother once owned |
| Sectors | beef cattle; soybeans; corn; wheat; produce; hay |
| Scale | Current acreage not published; began with 50 acres of burley |
| Why it is elite | 2021 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award; 2019 regional ASA Conservation Legacy Award |
| Ownership | Fred L. Sipes and family |
| Official website | Drovers: Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award announcement |
History of F.L. Sipes Farms
Fred Sipes began farming in 1994 with 50 acres of burley tobacco shortly after high school, working land his grandmother once owned. He later bought and rented more ground for beef cattle and row crops and purchased another farm in 2020, installing waterways there.
The farm received the 2021 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award, accepted at the Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts' annual meeting in Lexington. In 2019 Sipes also won a regional American Soybean Association Conservation Legacy Award.
What F.L. Sipes Farms Grows and Raises
The operation raises beef cattle, soybeans, corn, wheat, produce and hay, with wheat and rye cover crops. Cattle are managed with rotational grazing and cross fencing, and calving is timed to forage availability. Watering facilities and feeding pads limit erosion.
Because the area has sinkholes, buffer strips protect groundwater. The farm uses no-till, soil sampling and plant tissue testing to guide fertilizer, drift-reducing nozzles and GPS-targeted herbicide application. It works with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and hosts field days with University of Kentucky Extension and the local conservation district.
How F.L. Sipes Farms Makes Money
Beef cattle
Rotational grazing and timed calving aim to match herd needs to forage, controlling feed cost.
Row crops and hay
Soybeans, corn, wheat and hay provide cash income, with precision tools tuning inputs.
Rented ground
Sipes keeps landlords informed about conditions and conservation work, which helps keep leases stable.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from F.L. Sipes Farms
F.L. Sipes Farms shows a young operator building scale step by step: start with one crop, add land and livestock as cash flow allows. Each purchase came with conservation work rather than after it.
It also shows that landlord communication is a business asset. Sharing field data with owners builds trust and protects long-term access to rented acres.
A farm that began with 50 acres of burley and now teaches field days is the kind of story we like to see. At farm.FM our farm satire pages have a soft spot for a cattle herd that calves on a schedule the forage approves. Our farm humor team thinks sinkholes make the best landlords, since they never argue about rent, and the ranch humor and farm jokes about a grass waterway's busy social life are on file.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact F.L. Sipes Farms
No official farm website was found. This is the public award announcement; contact the Meade County Conservation District or the University of Kentucky Extension office for information.
F.L. Sipes Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Drovers award story - Award announcement for F.L. Sipes Farms
- Sand County Foundation release - The foundation's 2021 announcement
- Leopold Conservation Award program - About the award
- Kentucky Department of Agriculture - State agriculture department news and programs
- USDA NASS Kentucky Census of Agriculture - State farm counts, land and sales from the 2022 Census
F.L. Sipes Farms FAQ
What award did F.L. Sipes Farms win?
The 2021 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award, which includes $10,000.
Where is it?
Ekron, in Meade County, Kentucky.
What does the farm raise?
Beef cattle, soybeans, corn, wheat, produce and hay.
How do I contact the farm?
No farm website was found; start with the Meade County Conservation District or UK Extension.
F.L. Sipes Farms shows how a Kentucky operation can grow from 50 acres into a recognized conservation leader. See the Kentucky farms guide and the other profiles for more.