Anthony Reed Farm in Oklahoma: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Anthony Reed Farm is a family peanut and cattle operation near Thackerville in south central Oklahoma. Anthony and Karen Reed won the 2015 Peanut Profitability Award for the Southwest Region, and the family has grown peanuts since the 1940s.
| Location | Near Thackerville, south central Oklahoma |
|---|---|
| Founded | Family has grown peanuts since the 1940s; Chester Reed bought the Thackerville farm |
| Sectors | peanuts; rye; commercial cow herd; watermelons |
| Scale | More than 700 owned acres plus leased ground (2012); about 140 cows (2015) |
| Why it is notable | 2015 Peanut Profitability Award, Southwest Region |
| Ownership | Family: Anthony and Karen Reed |
| Official website | Farm Progress profile of Anthony Reed, Peanut Profitability Award |
History of Anthony Reed Farm
Farm Press reports that Anthony Reed's father, Chester, grew peanuts in the early 1940s and began raising them for the government, initially for peanut oil used in wartime diesel engines. Chester later bought the Thackerville farm, which Anthony and two brothers later took over. Anthony, born in 1954, served eight years as a county commissioner but has otherwise never held an off-farm job.
He has also served as a member of the Oklahoma Peanut Commission and on the board of the Southwestern Peanut Growers Association. A son has expressed interest in returning to the farm.
What Anthony Reed Farm Grows and Raises
In 2012 Farm Press described a medium-sized farm of more than 700 owned acres plus leased ground, with no outside labor and shared equipment with neighbors. Reed uses a one-in-four peanut rotation and plants rye behind the peanuts in October for forage and to reduce wind erosion.
By 2015 he grew only high oleic varieties: Red River Runner averaged 4,600 pounds per acre and OL 11 averaged 5,300 pounds per acre the previous year. He once grew 300 acres of peanuts and now produces almost as many pounds on 70 acres, thanks to a better rotation and improved technology.
His commercial cattle herd of about 140 cows provides his largest income. He also grows rye for grain, hay and grazing, and sells watermelons to small grocery stores, local customers and peddlers.
How Anthony Reed Farm Makes Money
Peanuts
High oleic peanuts in a four-year rotation are the signature crop and earned the profitability award. Prices and revenue are not published.
Cow herd
The commercial herd of about 140 cows is the largest source of income per the 2015 profile.
Rye and watermelons
Rye supplies grain, hay and grazing, and watermelons add a small local direct-sales stream.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Anthony Reed Farm
Rotation beats acres. Fewer peanut acres on a longer rotation produced nearly the same pounds with less disease risk.
Pair crops with cattle. The cow herd provides an income base when peanuts or markets have a weak year, and rye fits both.
Share equipment and labor with neighbors to keep costs down on a medium-sized farm.
Peanuts hide their best work underground, which makes them the shyest crop on any farm. For farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, check out farm.FM, where a growing peanut crop is the least dramatic thing near the Texas line. We tease with affection, because a farm that stays on a four-year plan deserves a salute.
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 Anthony Reed Farm
Website: https://www.farmprogress.com/peanuts/ppa-winner-southwest-region-anthony-reed-proud-be-peanut-farmer
No farm website, address, phone or email was verified. The page above is the Farm Progress award profile.
Anthony Reed Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Farm Progress: PPA winner Anthony Reed - 2015 Southwest Region Peanut Profitability Award
- Farm Progress: Oklahoma peanut grower enthusiastic - 2012 profile of the Reed farm
- Oklahoma State University: Oklahoma's Peanut Industry - university video on peanuts in Oklahoma
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - national and state farm counts, acreage and sales data
- USDA Farmers.gov - federal programs for farmers and ranchers
Anthony Reed Farm FAQ
Where is the Reed farm?
Near Thackerville, in south central Oklahoma.
What does it raise?
Peanuts, rye, watermelons and a commercial cow herd.
What award did it win?
The 2015 Peanut Profitability Award for the Southwest Region.
How can I contact it?
No direct contact was verified; see the Farm Progress profile.
Anthony Reed Farm shows how rotation, good varieties and a cow herd can keep a medium-sized peanut farm profitable. For more on Anthony Reed Farm and its region, read the state guide to Oklahoma farms.