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Hard work benefits
Roger and Justin Holland’s efforts have transformed a small family farm
Story by Hannah Lewis |
12/23/2020 |
Roger Holland’s love for agriculture began early on his parent’s Sumner County farm. As a youngster, he helped his father and mother, Robert and Eula Holland, haul seed screenings from Kentucky for sale and use on the farm. He started his farming venture with his parents with just a few cow-calf pairs in 1963.
Today, Roger and his son, Justin, have a stocker operation and grow plants and ornamental plants that they sell in their nursery and landscaping business Gallatin. The family has transitioned their beef business from a cow-calf operation to a stocker venture featuring around 400 cattle and a nursery that consist of 23 greenhouses. Together, they continue to run Roger’s Garden Center.
“It’s the benefit of hard work,” says Roger. “I’ve just been working on the farm for so long, and it’s finally paying off.”
He started his landscaping and retail nursery business with an eye toward growth. The business provided him with an easy outlet for the nursery stock he was growing on the farm, and it remains a mainstay of the operation today.
Some 17 years after starting his farm, Roger made a routine trip to the bank, and ended up meeting the love of his life — Debbie. The couple married in 1981 and now have two children — Justin and Leigh Anne, who became a teacher.
Justin caught the love of farming from his dad, and now works alongside him in both the livestock and landscaping business. Most of the day-to-day work falls to the younger Holland.
“It makes me feel good, and I’m glad Justin’s here,” says Roger, adding that Justin’s involvement provides him with a sense of security and hope for the future. “You don’t see young people in agriculture as much these days. I think we need to keep them farming, and I am proud my son will continue our family legacy.”
Justin says he has fond memories of his childhood as he helped out on the farm and at the store. While in high school, Justin and his cousin, Cole Ray, wanted to buy a boat, so they invested in their first pair of cows to help finance the purchase. From there, Justin says he kept buying and selling to turn a profit, and never quit.
“We always had cattle,” he says. “When I was young, I was so little I didn’t get to do much with the them. The store was busy and took most of our attention.”
After graduating from Gallatin High School, Justin attended Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture with a concentration in horticulture. After college, Justin and his high school sweetheart, Bailey, married and returned to Gallatin. They now have four children, Jackson, 5; twins William and Madison, 3; and Caroline, 1.
“Bailey takes care of the kids, which is a full-time job,” he says. “But she’ll come anytime I need help doing anything on the farm.”
The businesses keep the Hollands busy year-round. Fortunately, the most hectic time for the cattle occurs during the late summer into the fall, while the nursery peaks in the early spring and summer.
“We try to get our cattle straightened out during the summer and winter,” Justin says. “As the nursery starts slowing down, we’ll buy cattle to finish out. In the springtime — when we’re really busy at the store — we can still check on the cattle, but we’re not trying to monitor them as closely.”
With such a diverse operation, Roger and Justin rely on Sumner Farmers Co-op for the supplies they need, including cattle feed, minerals, fencing equipment, as well as seed, fertilizer, and chemicals for the nursery.
“We’re pretty much there every day,” Justin says with a laugh.
Again, like his dad, Justin is optimistic about the future of the farm and the garden center even during trying years. In an effort to stay in tune with the demand of landscape trends, Justin is looking to expand the nursery operation by adding some new offerings.
“My goals are to stay on the cutting edge and keep farming for as long as we can,” Justin says. “We want both sides to remain profitable and continue growing to support the family.”
And, he adds, he hopes he has the privilege of seeing his own children grow up in agriculture just like his father was able to watch him.
“The kids are getting older now and just being able to show them the different things we do is amazing,” says Justin. “They’re starting to show interest in being able to go out on the farm, ride the tractors, look at the cattle, and play in the nursery. That’s a big thing for me.”
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