WHAT WE DO

KENTUCKY CATTLE FARM


Imagine gentle, rolling lush green fields lined with a variety of shade trees, creeks, and streams. As you drive down the rural country roads on both sides you notice an occasional home. Each field you pass has a group of cattle. Many are mixed and crossbred. Each automobile you meet greets you with a driver that has a smile and a sincere wave of greeting. You notice a number of different crops in the fields like corn, beans, wheat, and yes, lots of tobacco. A community where people still leave keys in the trucks at night and homes unlocked. As you drive on a little further down the road you meet a tractor. It is a 1952 Super M International and in just a few hundred yards you meet another tractor. This one is much different, green with a cab and it looks like they have an air conditioner in it. It must be over 150 horsepower! You continue just a littler longer down the road and you see your destination. A tall, black and white, simple, but very noticeable sign that proudly says Triple T Farm.

No, this is not an outtake from a fictional novel. This is where and how we live.
A mixture of old and new in an ever changing society.
This is how it is in rural, southeast Kentucky.
We are proud to be nestled in the middle of what many would call a paradise.
— Tim Tarter, Triple T Farm's Owner and Operator

Kentucky farms are still mainly family farms and the average size is less than 200 acres. Even on the small amount of acres, farmers have always been able to etch out a living in the rich, fertile soil which allows farmers to grow numerous different crops. Our pastures, while predominantly fescue, are thickly laced with lagoons. In an era that tobacco was always king, we find ourselves slowly moving into other crop alternatives. Kentucky is the 4th largest producer of cattle, being over 1 million strong, a fact that is a little surprising considering that most herds are 50 head or less. Here at Triple T we are only slightly larger than Kentucky's average farm. We have a little over 500 acres, both leased and owned. Our crops include tobacco and growing fresh cut herbs providing for over 100 Wal-Mart stores. 

Teresa and I personally manage our operation as well as some manual labor. Our crew consist of 5 full-time employees and seasonal help is brought in for crop harvest. I have 2 children- a daughter Jessica, and a son Austin. Our life revolves around the farm and its operation. To us it is much more than just money in the bank, it is a way of life. We love every day even with the occasional stress of day-to-day life. It isn't paradise but it is very close. I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing or anywhere better to live. 

Life is good.