– Every Farmer has a Story with Bryan and Leisha Carpenter –
A life rich in blessings
Bryan Carpenter learned resilience from dedicated farmers of the past
Story and photos by Glen Liford
– Every Farmer has a Story with Bryan and Leisha Carpenter –
A life rich in blessings
Bryan Carpenter learned resilience from dedicated farmers of the past
Story and photos by Glen Liford
Bryan and Leisha Carpenter’s comfortable brick home sits atop a steep hill on the very site where they once grew corn silage on their Bean Station farm in Grainger County.
From their front porch, they enjoy a panoramic view. To the left, beef cattle are grazing on a rolling ridge. Directly below, the roots of the farm they have built for 41 years are on display — their former 170-year-old home, along with an old dairy parlor and related sheds where Bryan now stores equipment and hay. In reflection, Bryan says he can see how far they’ve come, but he’s not ready to settle into a rocking chair on that porch just yet.
“If I could say one thing about the life we’ve lived here, it’s that we’ve been blessed,” says Bryan, a longtime member of Smoky Mountain Farmers Cooperative, where Leisha works as office manager. “We have so many memories of things that have happened here, and what we’ve accomplished.”
The couple’s story is a meandering tale of love and devotion to farming and to one another. It’s also a testament of resilience and determination to make something out of little.
When Bryan was a teenager, the community was dotted with several dairies. Additionally, many of his neighbors — even those who worked factory jobs off the farm, like his dad — grew tobacco for additional income.
“I looked around, and dairying seemed to be where the income was,” Bryan says. “So, when I was 16, I decided to venture into the dairy business.”
He started his operation in 1978 with just a few cows, along with much encouragement and support from his parents. His mom helped feed the calves and milk in the parlor at times. Community dairymen also offered assistance and guidance to help him succeed. Five years later, in 1983, Bryan’s dairy achieved Grade A Dairy status.
That same year he and Leisha got married. Although Leisha had grown up on a beef and tobacco farm, she knew very little about dairying and general farming, and during that first year of marriage, the couple suffered setbacks in the business.
“We lost 18 heifers to nitrate poisoning, and the rear end went out in our 7600 Ford tractor,” Bryan recalls. “A short time later, our John Deere tractor broke down. It was such a discouraging time, but we stuck it out together.”
“You can’t listen to what everybody tells you about the future. You just have to hoe the row you’re in. It’s worked for us for over 40 years now.” — Bryan Carpenter
In addition to depending on Leisha — who will celebrate 38 years of service at Smoky Mountain’s Morristown location this month — Bryan says he also relied on area farmers who served as role models. He says Jim Helton is one of those dairymen who stood out.
“Jim never had a bad day,” recalls Bryan. “We often helped each other chop silage or do other chores. At times, I can be really high-strung, and one time while we were chopping silage and rushing to get things finished, the chopper broke down. I started getting upset, and Jim said, ‘You need to stop right there and sit down. The chopper is broken, and we have to fix it. But you’re going to sit right there while I smoke this Pall Mall cigarette, and we’re just going to cool it. Then, we’ll go on about our day.’ He was right. That one day taught me a lot about patience and helped me grow.”
Not too long ago, Bryan recalls helping a young man in the community.
“The first time I ever helped him, he asked how much he owed me,” Bryan says. “I told him, ‘There’s an old man who paid for that a long time ago.’ I tried to pass that lesson along.”
The dairy business sustained Bryan and Leisha until 2012, when market factors forced them to sell out. Despite that setback, Bryan showed his commitment to keep farming and transitioned to raising beef cattle. He still enjoys the lifestyle, though he misses dairying.
“There’s just no reason to quit,” he says. “There are a lot of good experiences that go along with farming. It’s not about getting rich. But I feel that I’m rich in ways that other people aren’t.”
Story by Glen Liford,
Contact gliford@ourcoop.com