Kyle Owen Farms in Tennessee: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Kyle Owen Farms in Smith County, Tennessee, grew from 32 acres of burley tobacco in 2004 to more than 6,000 acres of tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat, watermelons and pumpkins, according to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Owen, a first-generation farmer, was named the 2023 Tennessee Farmer of the Year.
| Location | Smith County, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004, when Kyle Owen began farming full time at age 21 (Delta Farms Press) |
| Sectors | Burley tobacco; corn; soybeans; wheat; watermelons; pumpkins; storage |
| Scale | 6,340 acres, 5,490 rented and 850 owned, per Delta Farms Press; UT says more than 6,000 acres |
| Why it is elite | 2023 Tennessee Farmer of the Year, nominated by the Smith County Extension director |
| Ownership | First-generation farm run by Kyle and Miranda Owen |
| Official website | UT Institute of Agriculture announcement of Kyle Owen as 2023 Tennessee Farmer of the Year |
History of Kyle Owen Farms
Kyle Owen began farming full time in 2004 at age 21, building on tobacco and cattle experience from his father, a school principal. UT says he started with 32 acres of burley tobacco and used salvaged equipment. He expanded to 50 acres the next year and 80 the year after, and by 2011 he had bought his first farm and was growing nearly 300 acres of tobacco. That year he leased 350 more acres and added corn and soybeans.
Kyle and Miranda Owen married in 2012. Miranda manages accounting, payroll, H-2A and GAP compliance, and agritourism. In 2023 Owen was named Tennessee Farmer of the Year by UT Extension and went on to compete in the Southeastern Farmer of the Year contest at the Sunbelt Ag Expo.
What Kyle Owen Farms Grows and Raises
Delta Farms Press reports 2022 acreage of 600 acres of tobacco, 2,800 of corn, 2,300 of soybeans and 1,500 of wheat, plus 100 acres of watermelons, which began in 2022. Marketing uses forward contracts, basis and futures contracts and more than 200,000 bushels of corn storage to capture seasonal prices. The farm employed 32 H-2A workers in 2022 and planned to increase to 45.
Conservation and technology are part of the plan. The farm uses no-till on all corn and soybeans, strip-tillage in burley tobacco, cover crops, variable-rate fertilizer and automatic boom shutoffs. Owen also operates an excavating business and has built more than 300 storage units, and planned agritourism including u-pick and farm-to-table dinners.
How Kyle Owen Farms Makes Money
Tobacco and grain
Delta Farms Press names tobacco buyers including Japan Tobacco International, Philip Morris International, Hall and Cotton Tobacco Company and R.J. Reynolds. Corn goes to area cooperatives and feed mills, with stored surplus sold to Tyson, soybeans to Bunge in Decatur, Alabama, and wheat to local mills.
Watermelons and pumpkins
Watermelons are sold to Kroger stores across the Southeast through a partnering local farmer. Pumpkins and planned agritourism are intended to add retail income.
Storage and side businesses
More than 300 storage units, grain storage and an excavating business add non-crop income and spread risk.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Kyle Owen Farms
The first lesson is to grow in steps with a plan: Owen added acreage each year and bought his first farm only after proving the business. The second lesson is to treat labor and compliance as a core function, as the H-2A program and GAP compliance require dedicated management.
Finally, diversification has risks. Delta Farms Press reports that buyers of the farm's fiber and CBD hemp did not honor their contracts, leaving about $1.1 million unpaid, so the Owens refocused on tobacco, grain and watermelons and put more energy into storage and rotation.
Going from 32 acres and some equipment dug out of weedy fencerows to thousands of acres is the kind of origin story that makes a combine proud. If you like your farm satire to arrive with the same drive, farm.FM offers farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes that salute growers instead of shrugging at them. Our editors hear the watermelons in Smith County have already negotiated a better shade tree.
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.
How to Contact Kyle Owen Farms
Website: https://utianews.tennessee.edu/smith-county-farmer-kyle-owen-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 Smith County UT Extension office for local introductions; confirm any visit with the farm, November 2026.
Kyle Owen Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- UT Institute of Agriculture announcement - 2023 Tennessee Farmer of the Year announcement for Kyle Owen
- Delta Farms Press: Kyle Owen - Detailed 2023 profile of acreage, yields, markets and labor
- Tennessee Farm Bureau Root of the Matter - Farm Bureau podcast feature on Kyle Owen
- Moultrie Observer: Kyle Owen - Coverage of the Tennessee Farmer of the Year at the Sunbelt Ag Expo
- USDA NASS Tennessee profile - 2022 Census of Agriculture figures for Tennessee tobacco and crops
Kyle Owen Farms FAQ
Where is Kyle Owen Farms?
Kyle Owen Farms is in Smith County, Tennessee.
How big is the farm?
Delta Farms Press reports 6,340 acres, 5,490 rented and 850 owned; the University of Tennessee says more than 6,000 acres.
What does the farm grow?
Burley tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat, watermelons and pumpkins.
What award has Kyle Owen won?
He was named the 2023 Tennessee Farmer of the Year by UT Extension.
Kyle Owen Farms shows how a first-generation Smith County farmer can grow from 32 acres to thousands through steady expansion, rented land and diversification. For comparison, see the Tennessee farms guide and the other profiles in this directory.