Derek and Emily Webb are young farmers in Bradley County, Tennessee. 

Derek is a third-generation poultry farmer. He works alongside his brother and father, who started the family’s poultry operation more than 16 years ago.

The family farm
The Webb family has 10 poultry houses with an average of 10,000 hens and 1,000 roosters per house. They sell their products to Koch foods and bring in about 15 million eggs a year.

Caring for their stock
The birds arrive at Derek and Emily’s farm when they’re 21 weeks old. After they arrive and get settled in, the Webb’s start gradually increasing the amount they feed the birds. After about two weeks, the birds will lay thier first egg.

Every morning, the Webbs walk through the chicken houses to make sure the hens are being fed evenly. They also ensure that the temperature of the houses is adequate and that nothing is negatively impacting production. The hens lay for about 42 weeks and, when done, Koch Foods picks them up.

A passion for agriculture
Smiles spread across their faces when they share their passion for their farm and their dreams for the future. The Webbs, who are River Valley AgCredit customers, plan to continue growing their family business and to pass the love of farming down for generations to come.