“You’ll never meet a more hard-working man.” That’s the description Lee Lister, Loan Officer in the Perry Branch of AgGeorgia Farm Credit uses to describe his customer, Kirkland Smith.
It’s very evident that Kirkland Smith of K. L. Smith Farms, Inc., is no stranger to work. Located just outside of Perry, Georgia, he re-started a family farm that began with 60 acres and over the last seven years has grown it into 800 acres of row crop production. “I started out slow,” Kirkland explained. “I’d go buy a bigger tractor and try to get more land [to pay for it].” Currently growing 210 acres of peanuts and 600 acres of cotton, Kirkland would like to increase his production acreage to 1,200 acres, one-third in peanuts and two-thirds in cotton for rotation purposes. With the majority of the land being rented and all of it being dry land, “I have to rely on the Good Lord,” he admits, and further states he’s only had one bad dry year since he began farming in 2014.
Kirkland didn’t grow up on a farm, but every summer as a child he’d spend on his uncle’s farm in Henderson and through that developed a love for agriculture. “We lived in Perry, but I’d spend summers with my uncle who was a full-time farmer,” Kirkland recalls, “and there was always something to do. Pulling weeds or picking squash. I started driving the tractor when I was about 10 years old. Since then, I’ve been hooked,” he admitted. “A lot of people like to go fishing, like to go golfing. Farming is like my escape. It’s hard work but I just enjoy it, it’s enjoyable to me so it doesn’t seem like hard work.” When asked what his favorite part of farming was, he didn’t hesitate for a response. “Being outside in nature, driving tractors, watching something you plant grow and then harvesting it,” Kirkland said and added, “and knowing that you’re feeding and clothing people.” It’s easy to see just how hooked he is, and it’s also likely every farmer can relate to this sentiment on the rewarding aspects of farming.
But what makes Kirkland and his farming operation so unique? Much of it has to do with his schedule when he’s not in the field. As an IT/ICS manager for a major national corporation, he is responsible for all the warehouse systems (Information Technology) and inventory control systems (ICS), something he’s done since 1993. “I go all over [the country],” Kirkland explains, “everywhere there’s a warehouse. From California to New York to Cambridge [Massachusetts], even to the two warehouses in Canada.” In addition to this job, he also owns a small tax business and a small landscaping business, both in Perry. Although he has help from family members that includes his uncle and brother, and additionally a couple of other farm workers, he admits he has to put in long hours and that it’s hard work. “Sometimes I’ll dig peanuts to two o’clock in the morning,” Kirkland says. “It’s hard work - but it’s rewarding.”
Kirkland’s strong work ethic permeates throughout his family. His wife, Gwen, operates her own catering and party planning business. Their three children have also been very successful as a testament to hard work; the oldest, Trey, is a graduate of UGA Law and is now a sports agent in Atlanta; the middle child, KJ, is a scholar athlete, a stand-out football player at the University of North Alabama, working toward a Master of Science and Human Performance degree, maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA; and the youngest, Kirondria, is serving in the United States Air Force. Gwen admits they try to attend every game possible to cheer on KJ and stays busy trying to keep up with their three-year-old grandson, Tatum Blake Smith.
Even with the Smith family’s busy schedules, Kirkland looks forward to growing his farming operation. “I’ll stop at 1,200 acres,” he said with a smile. “I’m going to continue to grow and want to get up to about 1,200 acres. AgGeorgia will help me build K. L. Smith Farms.” Kirkland’s strong desire to farm, initiated in those summers spent on his uncle’s farm several years ago, has been aided by the bond between Kirkland and Lee. It’s very evident their relationship goes well beyond just business. “The diversity of what he [Kirkland] has going on is truly, truly impressive,” said Lister. “There’s more to farming than just the dirt itself. I’m with Kirkland, year in and year out. I’m here for the good years, I’m here for the bad years. It makes me proud to see when things are working, and it makes me want to work just as hard as he [Kirkland] does if things aren’t great.” What started with a recommendation from a friend who worked with AgGeorgia for his financing has allowed Kirkland to enjoy his “escape.” “I started working with AgGeorgia in 2015,” Kirkland states, “and they have been instrumental in helping me grow. Without them, I could not farm.”