The Farm
Walnut Grove Farms intends to be the premier example of the future of the family farm; ethical, open-minded, and efficiency oriented.
Our History
Walnut Grove Farms is a family farm based in the community of Schochoh, Kentucky, 50 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee. The farm is currently managed by the 5th and 6th generations of the Halcomb family and operates in 2 Tennessee counties and 4 counties in Kentucky.
Our production includes corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, and rye.
The corn goes primarily into distilled spirits. The majority of the soybean crop is crushed for vegetable oil, biodiesel, and soybean meal. The wheat crop is delivered to Siemer Milling Co. in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and used primarily for cracker, cake, and biscuit flour. The barley is either malted for the distilling and brewing industries or goes into feed for pleasure horses. The rye goes into the distilling and brewing industries or is planted as a winter cover crop on fallow land.
How We Care for the Land
Our soils are primarily silty clay loams with limestone bedrock and gentle slopes. Though we typically get 50 inches of rain each year, a low percentage of organic matter in the soil and hot dry summers make moisture a concern.
One of our key focuses is increasing sustainability through improved practices, including precision ag technology.
We have implemented zone soil sampling, variable rate seeding, and variable rate nutrient application. Through technologies like these and conservation efforts such as continuous no-till and cover crops, we are seeing healthier soil with better water holding capacity. That's better for our soil and our business.
Always Evolving
Always on the lookout for new opportunities, we have experimented with energy crop production, grown canola, grain sorghum, non-GMO waxy corn, and are a Pioneer seed bean supplier.
In recent years Walnut Grove Farms has been experimenting with irrigated crop production. We have won the National Corn Grower’s Kentucky irrigated corn yield contest five years, with the highest winning yield being 344.95 bushels per acre in 2014.
Our Philosophy
Above all, Walnut Grove Farms strives to be honest and fair with its employees and suppliers while providing excellent service to its customers. With the increasing competitiveness of agriculture, sustainable farming practices must be coupled with superb customer service, and Walnut Grove is fortunate to have a strong team mindful of both.