There are approximately 50,000 acres of farmland in Calhoun County, producing mainly cotton, sorghum, and soybeans. Around 75% of the farming industry’s revenue is from sales of meat and feed for the animals that produce it. Sustainable agriculture doesn’t degrade the natural resources needed for future farming. There are 2 million U.S. farms, of which 97% are family owned. Here in Calhoun County, one of these family farms is owned and operated by Kevin Hahn.
Kevin Hahn, Calhoun County Farmer
Kevin and David Hahn
Since he was a young child, farming has been a way of life that Kevin Hahn knows all too well.. After graduating from A&M in 2008, he spent 10 years in agronomy sales in 5 different states before returning home to the family farm in 2017.
Kevin has had the joy of working alongside his father David growing cotton, corn, and grain sorghum. Farming has many challenges, and every year is a tough one in some way. You never know what is going to happen. Kevin said, “I like new challenges and farming offers a lot of them.”
Farmers such as Kevin do what they do because they love the land. “There is a common misconception that farmers are poor stewards of the land. That would be counterintuitive for a farmer to work against himself by destroying the one resource that there isn’t more of. Farmers are some of the largest conservationists around and the US Food System is the most sustainable in the entire world.”
Every year we face new challenges as farmers, but the biggest hurdle is always the one you don’t see coming. Farming is weather dependent and time sensitive. You must be fluid. You can be proactive, or you can be reactive. Kevin tries to ensure he stays on top of things and plans ahead but says he always feels like he is still behind the eight ball.
Getting to work with his father and taking over the family farm is something Kevin is extremely proud of and looks forward to carrying on its legacy.
Hailey Hayes, County Extension Agent | Agriculture and Natural Resources
