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Tennessee Farms and Ranches: Agriculture History, How Farms Make Money and Strategy

Guide updated November 2026

Tennessee farms numbered 63,105 in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, covering 10,732,951 acres at an average of 170 acres. Those farms sold $5.16 billion of products, up 36 percent from 2017, with crops contributing 58 percent of sales and livestock, poultry and their products 42 percent.

Tennessee agriculture at a glance
Farms and land in farms63,105 farms on 10,732,951 acres; average 170 acres (2022 Census of Agriculture)
Top commoditiesGrains and oilseeds, poultry and eggs, cattle and calves, nursery and greenhouse, cotton, tobacco
Market value of ag products sold$5,161,034,000 in 2022, up 36 percent since 2017
State agriculture departmentTennessee Department of Agriculture
Land-grant extensionUniversity of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and UT Extension
Farm BureauTennessee Farm Bureau Federation

Agriculture in Tennessee: A Short History

Tennessee's agriculture began with small mixed farms in the east, cotton and tobacco plantations in the middle and west, and cattle and mules across the rolling hills. The state recognizes that heritage through its Century Farm program, established by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in 1975 as part of the nation's bicentennial celebration. Tennessee Home and Farm reports more than 1,300 certified century farms, 134 of which are over 200 years old, including Donnell Century Farm in Madison County, founded in 1835.

Today's census shows a changed but still diverse industry. Tobacco sold $72.0 million and ranks third among the 18 states reporting it, and cotton sold $307.3 million. Between 2017 and 2022 the number of farms fell 10 percent while average sales per farm rose 51 percent, to $81,785. Family farms were 97 percent of operations, 1,690 farms had 1,000 acres or more, and 4,319 farms sold $100,000 or more, while 41 percent (26,113 farms) sold under $2,500.

How Farms in Tennessee Make Money

Grains, oilseeds and cotton

Crops brought in $3.00 billion in 2022. Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas led at $1.82 billion, followed by nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod at $430.7 million and cotton and cottonseed at $307.3 million. Soybeans covered 1,571,542 acres and corn for grain 807,824 acres, while hay and other forage covered 1,534,154 acres.

Cattle, poultry and livestock

Livestock, poultry and products sold $2.16 billion. Poultry and eggs brought in $1.07 billion, cattle and calves $784.2 million, hogs and pigs $122.0 million and milk $112.0 million. Tennessee counted 1,636,047 cattle and calves and 35,712,972 broilers at the end of 2022, and horse and mule sales of $32.5 million ranked 11th nationally.

Direct sales and diversification

Only 5 percent of Tennessee farms sold directly to consumers in 2022, but the profiled operations show the possibilities: Catesa Farms sells strawberries to restaurants and wineries alongside grain, and Kyle Owen Farms added watermelons and planned agritourism.

Agriculture Strategy for Tennessee Farms

Soils, water and climate

Tennessee has three grand divisions with distinct farming. West Tennessee has deep loess soils and Mississippi River bottomlands suited to soybeans, corn, cotton and wheat, as at Verell Farms in Madison County. Middle Tennessee has the Highland Rim and Central Basin, where cattle, hay, tobacco, nursery and grain share the land. East Tennessee has ridges and valleys that favor pasture and beef. Cropland totaled 5,273,992 acres in 2022, pastureland 2,319,328 acres and woodland 2,550,106 acres. Plan for summer drought, spring flooding in bottomlands, and tall fescue management in pastures.

Production and risk

Large grain operations such as Kyle Owen Farms and Catesa Farms combine forward contracts, on-farm storage, crop insurance and rotation to manage price risk. Cattle producers can use UT Extension programs, the Tennessee Cattlemen's Association and the American Angus Association for genetics and marketing guidance, as seen at Deer Valley Farm. NRCS programs such as EQIP can help pay for practices like no-till, cover crops, fencing and waterways, which Jepson Family Farms and Kyle Owen Farms describe using.

Technology and inputs

Precision application, automatic boom and row shutoffs and variable-rate fertilizer help cut input costs, and larger operations often add grain drying and storage to capture seasonal price gains. Specialty crops such as strawberries and melons require careful labor planning, and several profiled farms rely on the H-2A program.

Farm Business Strategy in Tennessee

Margins and markets

Net cash farm income was $1.08 billion in 2022, up 41 percent, but production expenses rose 32 percent to $4.42 billion, and government payments fell 52 percent to $55.7 million. Farmers should forward-contract when margins are favorable, diversify buyers and track cost per acre closely.

Land, credit and succession

Tennessee had 42,199 producers aged 65 or older in 2022 versus 8,024 under 35, so succession matters. New and beginning farmers numbered 31,696. Many of the profiled farms grew with rented land: Kyle Owen Farms rents 5,490 of 6,340 acres, and Verell Farms added about 3,000 rented acres to family ground. Use FSA loans, Farm Credit lenders and UT Extension farm management education, and plan leases and estates early.

Marketing and diversification

Operations near Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis and Chattanooga can sell specialty produce, direct beef and agritourism, while commodity producers can add storage, custom hire, feed or equipment businesses, as Sugar Tree Farms has. Seedstock producers can market through breed associations and sales.

Farm Insight: Tennessee Trends to Watch

Three trends deserve attention. Farm numbers are falling while average sales per farm rise, which rewards scale and efficiency. Input costs are climbing faster than income in some measures, and the number of aging operators means a large transfer of land in the coming decade.

The profiled operations share common habits: they grow in steps, use rented land, add second enterprises, and tell a clear story to buyers, whether national retailers, commercial cattlemen or Nashville restaurants.

Tennessee farmers manage everything from Mississippi River cotton to Appalachian pastures, and some of them probably do it while humming a tune. If you enjoy farm satire that keeps time with the same rhythm, farm.FM offers farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes written with real respect for people working Tennessee land. We would write a song about Smith County watermelons, but they already have a following.

farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.

Elite Farms and Ranches in Tennessee

These 6 operations are profiled in full, with history, how each makes money, lessons for other farms and published contact details.

Elite operations in Tennessee

Who to Contact in Tennessee: Agriculture Offices and Associations

Tennessee Farming FAQ

How many farms are in Tennessee?

The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 63,105 farms on 10,732,951 acres, with an average size of 170 acres.

What are Tennessee's top agricultural products?

By sales, grains and oilseeds ($1.82 billion), poultry and eggs ($1.07 billion), cattle and calves ($784.2 million), nursery and greenhouse ($430.7 million) and cotton ($307.3 million).

Which farms are profiled here?

Deer Valley Farm, Catesa Farms, Kyle Owen Farms, Jepson Family Farms, Verell Farms and Sugar Tree Farms.

Where can new Tennessee farmers get help?

Start with UT Extension, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the Tennessee Farm Bureau and the local FSA office.

Tennessee farms range from West Tennessee grain and cotton to Middle Tennessee cattle, tobacco and specialty crops, and the operations profiled below show how scale, stewardship and diversification work in practice. Read each profile to see how it earned its place.

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