In Carter County lies the town of Grayson. It is home to McGlone Farms and Kee’s Farm Service. McGlone Farms has been in operation for six generations and traces its roots back to 1883. Kee’s Farm Service hasn’t been around nearly that long, but about ten years ago, it was purchased by Hannah and Jason McGlone, and business has certainly changed since Hannah took over. 

“This is our county’s farm store,” Hannah said, “and I used to drive by and think, what’s Pete (Kee) gonna do with this store?’” He sold it to her, and Hannah hasn’t looked back. “I wanted to make the store a place where everyone felt welcome – where women would WANT to go on a part or feed run for their family’s operation. When families used to come to the store together, the women would usually stay in the truck because we didn’t have much to offer outside the standard farm supplies. So, we diversified our offerings and added home decor and some fun clothing items. It’s been a real success, and now we host Ladies Nights and 4-H gatherings,” she said. 

Taking a look around Kee’s, it’s easy to see that Hannah has accomplished her goal of something for everyone. When we visited, there was seasonal home decor, a wide variety of caps with fun sayings, and plenty of clothing and boots from well-known brands like Carhartt, Wrangler, Rocky, and Wahl.

“We are true to our farm store roots, though,” Hannah added. “We have a lot of people who have moved in here and want to learn to garden and have a few chickens,” she said, “and we want to sell them canning jars and chicken feed. We have a number of small goat herds around, and of course, cattle minerals, feeders, and protein tubs are always popular items.” She added that while there are a few farms in the area that row crop, cattlemen (and cattlewomen) are a large part of her customer base. 

“We are really busy in the spring,” she said, “with fencing supplies and fertilizer for pasture.” Hannah, a busy mom of three, said that she is grateful for the staff that she has, which allows her to have a flexible schedule. “Jason and I are both very involved in our church,” she said, “and of course, with three active kids, we are always running somewhere. Having a great staff that I can leave on their own is a real blessing.”

The McGlones cite big box stores as their biggest challenge. “We don’t have the buying power that a Walmart or even Tractor Supply has. We have one location,” Hannah said, “and they have hundreds.” Kee’s Farm Service makes up for any minor discrepancies in prices with hometown customer service, though. “We will carry your purchases to the truck for you, and we load feed, etc., out of the warehouse,” Hannah said. “Plus, I think the farm community sees the value of buying local and supporting a fellow farmer’s family business.”

Hannah said that her staff does take note of purchases already in customers’ vehicles from other vendors, and they’re not too shy to ask, “Where’d you get that, and how much did you pay?” She said that customers are sometimes surprised to find that Kee’s price is the same or maybe less on many items. 

“We strive to be part of the ag community here,” she added. “We sponsor 4-H livestock auctions for four counties, and we have cattle meetings at our store.” 

Hannah added that she is blessed with a great group of clients who are interested in everything from canning supplies to calf starters and that being involved in the local ag community is not just good for business; it’s the right thing to do. “We are part of this community, and the more we can do to help promote ag and ag education, the better.”

Jason didn’t chime in too much on the farm store portion of our interview because, as he proudly says, “that is all her!” He’s busy farming, anyway. Jason farms with his dad, David, and said that they used to have chickens and tobacco in addition to corn and wheat, but as demand decreased for tobacco and the poultry business moved out of the area, he turned to strictly row crops. 

“We have soybeans, corn, and wheat,” he said. “We do all of the straw for the store, and most of our wheat and corn go to the local Pride dog food plant.” Soybeans are trucked to Silver Grove, which is 102 miles one way. 

The McGlones also do some custom farming on a per-acre basis and have about 90 mama cows they background calves from. “And the kids are into show cattle,” Jason said. “Addison is 13, and she will show anything. Cows, pigs, you name it. She’s into horses and headed into FFA full speed ahead.” 

Ivory, who just turned 10 in January, is into softball and basketball, which keeps her parents busy with practice and games. Trey, who is eight, is what Jason calls a “typical boy,” whose interests run to the football and driving the grain cart. 

The McGlones keep plenty busy with the farm operation, Jason said. There are four generations on the farm, from Jason’s grandmother to his own children, and between row crops, cattle, and trucking feed and fertilizer for the store, there is plenty of work to go around.

“Buying the store was a lot,” Jason said, “But we knew we had one shot at it. Hannah said, “We had a new business, a newborn, Jason was on the state Farm Bureau Board, and we had just picked up more ground. The timing wasn’t the best, but we prayed about it and knew we were making the right decision.” 

Jason joined the operation full-time in 2003, and McGlone Farms began growing soybeans in 2008. “Soybeans work great for us with all of the wheat we grow,” he said, “and not a lot of people grow beans up this way.” Jason is a lifetime member of the Kentucky Soybean Association and is active in a number of other organizations.