Jepson Family Farms in Tennessee: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Jepson Family Farms in Robertson County, Tennessee, is led by seventh-generation farmer Willis Jepson, who was named the 2026 Tennessee Farmer of the Year by the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and the UT Institute of Agriculture. RFD-TV reports a family farming legacy of more than 200 years.
| Location | Robertson County, Tennessee; also Sumner County, Tennessee and Simpson County, Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Founded | Family farming legacy of more than 200 years (RFD-TV) |
| Sectors | Corn; soybeans; wheat; dark-fired tobacco; canola; barley; watermelons; pumpkins |
| Scale | Acreage not published in the sources we reviewed |
| Why it is elite | 2026 Tennessee Farmer of the Year |
| Ownership | Seventh-generation family farm led by Willis Jepson |
| Official website | UT Institute of Agriculture announcement naming Willis Jepson Tennessee Farmer of the Year |
History of Jepson Family Farms
RFD-TV describes Willis Jepson as a seventh-generation farmer whose family's farming legacy spans more than 200 years. He sees continuing it as respecting earlier generations while making choices that keep the farm strong for later ones. In 2026 the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture announced that he had been named Tennessee Farmer of the Year, presented with the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation at the inaugural Tennessee Farm Bureau Foundation Harvesting Hope Gala.
What Jepson Family Farms Grows and Raises
The UT announcement lists corn, soybeans, wheat, dark-fired tobacco, canola, barley, watermelons and pumpkins, with ground in Robertson and Sumner counties in Tennessee and Simpson County in Kentucky. RFD-TV says watermelons and pumpkins were added as part of diversifying the operation, and that the farm uses conservation methods including no-till farming and cover crops.
Jepson also emphasizes preparing the next generation for leadership, which he considers as important as managing the land.
How Jepson Family Farms Makes Money
Grain and oilseed crops
Corn, soybeans, wheat, canola and barley provide the volume base of the operation.
Dark-fired tobacco
Dark-fired tobacco remains among the farm's crops and is a traditional Robertson County commodity.
Watermelons and pumpkins
RFD-TV says watermelons and pumpkins were added to diversify the farm.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Jepson Family Farms
The first lesson is that multi-generation farms survive by changing. Jepson Family Farms has kept traditional crops while adding melons and pumpkins. The second lesson is to protect the soil: no-till and cover crops are described as part of the plan for future generations.
Finally, Jepson treats leadership development as part of farm management, which is a practical approach to succession for any family operation.
Seven generations of farming means this family has seen every kind of weather, every kind of price and at least one watermelon that rolled farther than expected. For readers who like farm satire with deep roots, farm.FM serves farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes that bow respectfully to the people carrying a 200-year tradition forward. We hope the pumpkins pose for pictures every October.
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 Jepson Family Farms
Website: https://utianews.tennessee.edu/willis-jepson-named-tennessee-farmer-of-the-year/
No official farm homepage appeared in our research, so this page links to the University of Tennessee award announcement. Contact the Robertson County UT Extension office for local introductions, November 2026.
Jepson Family Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- UT Institute of Agriculture announcement - Willis Jepson named Tennessee Farmer of the Year
- RFD-TV: Meet Willis Jepson - Seventh-generation story and conservation practices
- Tennessee Farm Bureau: regional winners - Regional winners of the Tennessee Farmer of the Year competition
- Livability: agriculture in Robertson County - Background on farming in Robertson County
- USDA NASS Tennessee profile - 2022 Census of Agriculture figures for Tennessee crops and tobacco
Jepson Family Farms FAQ
Where is Jepson Family Farms?
It is in Robertson County, Tennessee, with additional ground in Sumner County and Simpson County, Kentucky.
What award did Willis Jepson win?
The 2026 Tennessee Farmer of the Year.
What does the farm grow?
Corn, soybeans, wheat, dark-fired tobacco, canola, barley, watermelons and pumpkins.
How old is the farm legacy?
RFD-TV says the family farming legacy spans more than 200 years.
Jepson Family Farms shows how a seventh-generation Robertson County family keeps tradition alive through diversified crops and conservation. See the Tennessee farms guide and the other profiles in this directory for more.