Yon Family Farms in South Carolina: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Yon Family Farms in Ridge Spring is a first-generation Angus seedstock operation that was named Beef Improvement Federation Seedstock Producer of the Year and whose founder, Kevin Yon, won the 2018 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year title. Clemson University's report on that award describes 4,258 acres and a herd the National Cattlemen's Beef Association listed among the country's 25 largest purebred operations.
| Location | Ridge Spring, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996, when Kevin and Lydia Yon bought 100 cows and 100 acres (Drovers) |
| Sectors | Angus seedstock; commercial cattle; forages; pecans; on-farm retail |
| Scale | 4,258 acres (2,515 rented and 1,743 owned) and about 1,200 registered breeding-age females, per Clemson in 2018; Drovers reports nearly 1,500 Angus cattle |
| Why it is elite | BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year; 2018 Southeastern Farmer of the Year; 2021 CAB Seedstock Commitment to Excellence award |
| Ownership | Family operation led by Kevin and Lydia Yon, with their three children working in the business |
| Official website | Clemson University report on Kevin Yon's Southeastern Farmer of the Year award |
History of Yon Family Farms
Kevin and Lydia Yon met at Clemson University while studying animal science. After graduating they managed a registered Angus herd in Columbia, South Carolina. When that herd was dispersed in 1996, the couple bought 100 cows and 100 acres in Ridge Spring and started their own operation with their three children. Drovers describes the starting point as an abandoned peach orchard, and Clemson notes Kevin is the son and grandson of sharecroppers.
The business has since grown into a seedstock program with national recognition. Kevin won the 2018 Southeastern Farmer of the Year award, chosen from ten state winners at the Sunbelt Ag Expo, and the farm later earned the BIF honor. All three of the Yons' children, Sally, Drake and Corbin, returned to work there as adults.
What Yon Family Farms Grows and Raises
The base of the business is registered Angus. In 2018 Clemson reported about 1,200 registered breeding-age females, 590 commercial breeding-age females and 90 steers and heifers being fed out. Drovers later described nearly 1,500 Angus cows on coastal-plain pastures, and it says Simmental and Brangus genetics were added to broaden the bull offering. The family adopted artificial insemination, embryo transfer and carcass EPDs early.
Selection is tied to carcass value. Drovers reports that bulls carrying the Certified Angus Beef Targeting the Brand logo must meet a minimum marbling EPD of +0.65 and an Angus Grid Value Index of +55 or higher, and the Yons raised more than 600 such sires over four years. Forages, including alfalfa, and newer crops such as soybeans and pecans round out the land base.
How Yon Family Farms Makes Money
Bull and female production sales
The Yons hold two on-farm sales each year and also sell by private treaty. Clemson reported about 375 bulls and 150 females at sale in 2018, and Drovers later described more than 450 Angus bulls and about 250 females marketed annually.
Commercial cattle and fed calves
Calves that do not go to breeding programs are fed out, mostly in a Kansas feedlot, with some marketed through an Augusta, Georgia processing facility. This gives the operation a second outlet for genetics it has already produced.
Pecans and on-farm retail
The family owns a store in Ridge Spring that sells pecans, beef from the farm and other South Carolina-grown products.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Yon Family Farms
The first lesson is to breed for the customer's end product. The Yons tie their bull selection to carcass merit and to Southeastern conditions, so commercial buyers can see a clear reason to return each year. The second lesson is an open-door policy: Drovers reports consumer tours and private treaty sales alongside production sales.
Finally, the farm shows how a first-generation operation can grow with rented land. More than half of its 4,258 acres were rented in 2018, and the business has also built value through retail and family involvement.
Not many people can start with a handful of cows on a former peach orchard and end up leading national seedstock conversations, so we tip our hats to Ridge Spring. Readers who enjoy farm satire that is as affectionate as a good bull sale catalog should visit farm.FM for farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, all written with respect for the cattle families behind the headlines. Rumor has it the pecans are safe from the punchlines.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact Yon Family Farms
Website: https://news.clemson.edu/clemson-alumnus-kevin-yon-named-southeasts-top-farmer/
No official Yon Family Farms homepage appeared in our research, so this page links to the best verified public report. Bull and female sale dates are published in sale catalogs and state listings; confirm details with the farm before traveling, November 2026.
Yon Family Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Clemson University news - Report on Kevin Yon's 2018 Southeastern Farmer of the Year award and the farm's scale
- Drovers: BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year - Coverage of the Beef Improvement Federation award and the farm's sales
- Drovers feature - Targeting excellence in all they do: genetics, selection and marketing
- South Carolina Department of Agriculture event listing - A state listing for a Yon Family Farms cattle sale
- USDA NASS South Carolina profile - 2022 Census of Agriculture figures for South Carolina farms and cattle
Yon Family Farms FAQ
Where is Yon Family Farms?
Yon Family Farms is in Ridge Spring, South Carolina, where Kevin and Lydia Yon started the operation in 1996.
What awards has Yon Family Farms won?
Kevin Yon won the 2018 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year, and the farm was named Beef Improvement Federation Seedstock Producer of the Year. Drovers also reports a 2021 CAB Seedstock Commitment to Excellence award.
What breeds does the farm raise?
Angus is the core breed. Drovers says Simmental and Brangus genetics were added to broaden the bull offering.
How can I buy Yon bulls?
The farm holds two on-farm production sales each year and sells by private treaty. Check sale catalogs or contact the farm for current dates.
Yon Family Farms shows how careful genetics, rented acres and a family-first plan can build a national seedstock brand from a small start in Ridge Spring. For more operations like it, see the South Carolina farms guide and the other profiles in this directory.