Sequatchie Cove Farm

The Ohio Valley Grain Exchange

Kelsey Keener was 8 years old when his parents Bill and Miriam, sister Ann and Grandparents Jim and Emily moved out to Marion County and started Sequatchie Cove Farm, that was in 1996. He grew up learning how to farm along side his family none of which had prior farming experience. Kelsey always knew he wanted to live on the land and be a full time farmer so after high school he went out to California and studied Sustainable Agriculture for a year in 2007.

When he got back to TN Kelsey helped start an organic farm out on Williams Island across from Baylor Highschool with a few friends including Ashley who was to become his wife. For 3 years this group of friends lived off the grid, camping in tents on the Island and growing Vegetables and some livestock for the Chattanooga farmers markets. After 3 years it was time to settle down back on the family farm. Kelsey and Ashley got married, built a house and started a family of their own. Today Kelsey and Ashley have 3 children, Fletcher, Oliver and Ella Mae. This is a unique and very special situation where there are 4 generations all living on the same property spending time with each other pretty much every day! The family has been slowly working on figuring out how the generational transfer of the farm will take place and now Kelsey and Ashley are managing partners of the farm alongside Bill and Miriam. Over the years Sequatchie Cove Farm has produced and direct marketed dozens of agricultural products ranging from Organic Vegetables, Native Plants, Grass Fed Meats, Mushrooms, Fruits and Berries, Farmstead Cheese and Pasture Raised Eggs. In recent years the focus has been on growing the Pasture Raised Egg business from a flock of around 400 hens to now around 4,000 hens that is producing around 180 dozen eggs per day! Sequatchie Cove Farm has also been doing lots of experimenting growing grains for human consumption in a small scale regenerative way including corn, buckwheat, wheat, Rye and Rice. Another focus has been getting more folks out to the farm to shop for local food at the Farms Trading Post, Farm Tours, Hosting classes and workshops, local community meetings and presentations as well as Farm to Table meals prepared by local Chefs.

Making a living as a full time farmer is not an easy task but Kelsey remains super passionate about making this lifestyle and business model work! He hopes that his kids one day have the same opportunity of running the family farm and he also is very passionate about supporting other young farmers as they get into the field in our area. South East TN Young Farmers coalition is a grassroots organization that Kelsey is on the leadership committee of, working towards a more just, equitable and sustainable future for young farmers in our area.