Serving up a slice of agriculture
Turner Angus Farm in Covington brings ‘eating out’ to a whole new level
Story and photos by Page Haynes
Ready to welcome guests to Turner Angus Farm are, from left, John Turner and his wife, Amber, and Ann Turner Johnson and her husband, Tony. Turner Angus Farm has operated since 1933 as a registered Angus cattle farm in Covington, just 35 miles north of Memphis.
Have you ever visited a beef farm that turns into a full-blown pizza farm on the weekends? At Covington’s Turner Angus Farm, you can have your scenic beef farm … and eat it, too. Literally. On a slice of homemade wood-fired oven pizza.
Founded in 1853 and operated as registered Angus beef operation since 1933, Turner Angus Farm is in its seventh generation of family members — represented by John Turner and his sister Ann Turner Johnson — who were looking for ways to diversify their operation. Ann says that in 2023, while visiting the Midwest with her ag classes to inspire fresh ideas in agritourism, her “wheels started spinning.”
“Each summer, I take a group of students to study farming in a different region of the country,” says Ann, who’s been teaching agriculture for 30 years at Munford High School in Tipton County. “Some of the dairies run pizza farms to highlight their offerings of cheese. I took the students to eat pizza one night and I thought, ‘Oh, we could do this at our cattle farm, but instead of cheese, we can feature beef. If visitors enjoy the beef on the pizza, then they can step into our retail store and purchase freezer beef that was raised here on the farm.’”
Ann says that after she came home and told her brother all about the pizza farm in Wisconsin, the two discussed how they could open their own pizza place. They soon got to work renovating one of the open-air hay barns near the road and placed tables inside. They mounted a TV, hung chandeliers, and displayed old items like cattle chain ear tags, show photos and trophies, and halters as decorations. Soon, they purchased a food trailer, complete with a wood-fired pizza oven.
A few big freezers were also brought in and filled with all cuts of beef from the farm, and a little store was set up to feature everything from honey to earrings to rural shirts.
Pasture surrounds the renovated hay barn and the existing fences and water troughs allow the cattle to come up to the barn on their own while visitors eat their pizza.

Various ingredients, including beef raised on the farm, are used to create all types of pizzas for visitors at Turner Angus Pizza Farm. Families can peruse the menu online at the farm’s website and make reservations to visit. After ordering pizza at the farm, visitors are given a numbered ear tag, as shown behind the pizzas, to place at their table while awaiting their pizza delivery.
“We’ve been in the cattle business forever,” says John, who’s family shops at Stockdale’s in Covington for farm supplies. “We’ve raised and shown cattle and we’ve been involved in FFA our entire lives. My Uncle Ted and Ann are both ag teachers, and we work to educate people about the importance of it. So, we wanted our agritourism venture to be something that would work toward that end.”
The Turners use their time with visitors as an opportunity to teach about the farm and rural life. Farm tours are offered on pizza nights from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and are $5 per person. Visitors can ride on the farm’s 12-passenger tour trailer with a Turner family member. Guests can learn about farm life, beef cattle production, and can see the cows up close.
“On the tours, we talk about how much food and water the cows consume eat each day,” Ann explains. ‘We’re often answering questions like, ‘How much time do they spend grazing and how do we vaccinate?’ We have a need to educate others about where their food comes from and what we really do on a farm. If they can put a face with it, we think that helps.”
“Today, we are celebrating the Farmland Preservation Act, but the next time, there may be some other bill that could harm agriculture in our state,” she adds. “All these people who come eat pizza are voters, and at the end of the day, they can help or hurt us. So out here, we’re advocating for agriculture one slice at a time.”
While the educational tours are fun for families, the pizza is delicious, and the experience is great, what’s most impressive about Turner Angus Pizza Farm is the closeness of the family and how they all work together to get the job done. Visitors who need anything at the pizza farm can just look for a family member who’s wearing black — there’s 26 of them who can be working on any given Saturday night. From smaller kids opening gates to teenagers delivering pizza to others who cook, prep, cut, and clean tables, there’s a job for everyone. Family members also work as tour guides, tractor drivers, cashiers, and store operators.
“We’re all very close,” says Ann. “This operation has allowed us to grow even closer, and we’d like to preserve that. This venture has really helped us do that.”
The experience for pizza customers is unique. After placing their order at the pizza trailer, customers are given an ear tag to place on their table. When ready, the pizza is delivered by a Turner family member.
Reservations must be made at the farm’s website, where the menu is also available. To date, the operation offers six farm-inspired specialty pizzas, two pasture pizzas, two chicken pizzas, two cheese pizzas, and four dessert pizzas.
Many events are held at the operation during the year, including a Cowboy Country Christmas in December, Daffodil Days in the spring, and Easter with the bunny and an egg hunt. There’s also an Eat Beef Cook Off in July as well as numerous TV events from the Kentucky Derby to various football games throughout the season.
Turner Angus Pizza Farm is located at 520 Kenny Lane in Covington, from the last weekend in March until the weekend before Thanksgiving. For more information, visit online at turnerangusfarm.net.
On any given Saturday night, you can find any family member dressed in black working at the farm. The 26-member team works well together, is close-knit, and relies on each other to get the job done. The agritourism venture has diversified their Angus operation and brought the family closer together. In addition to serving pizza, the group also gives tours of the farm (in wagon shown) and teaches others about the importance of agriculture.



By Page Haynes,
Contact phaynes@ourcoop.com