Carving out some fun
Thousands converge on Lyon Family Farms’ pumpkin patch each autumn
Story and photos by Page Haynes
Richard and Shelley Lyon’s small pumpkin patch venture in Taft has grown by leaps and bounds. Last year, they welcomed 55,000 visitors through their gates in Lincoln County. They now operate the largest pumpkin patch in the Tennessee Valley on more than 100 acres. They are open September 19 to October 31 and offer an enjoyable day for the whole family.
Each pumpkin season, the little town of Taft in Lincoln County livens up as droves of people head to a gigantic harvest celebration at Richard and Shelley Lyon’s family farm in Taft. Brilliant sunflower fields and a country music-themed corn maze as well as pumpkin picking, games, all types of food, and petting zoos are enough to keep visitors entertained all day.
It all started off as a small venture. Richard and his father, Stanley Lyon, a former Lincoln County Extension Agent, were already wholesale produce growers — raising winter squash, corn, and 200 acres of pumpkins, along with Christmas trees.
But after graduating college and getting married in 2004 — Richard earning his degree in Ag Economics and Shelley obtaining an ornamental horticulture degree — the couple added an interesting agritourism element to the mix: They bought additional land two miles down the road and in 2006, they opened their first pumpkin patch to the public.
“We’re both outdoors people,” explains Richard, a former six-year board member of Lincoln Bedford Moore Farmers Cooperative in Fayetteville. “We love being outside in addition to growing things, so it just seemed to fit. But here we are 20 years later, and our little pumpkin patch has grown by leaps and bounds.”
In addition to the pumpkin patch, known as Lyon Family Farms, the family currently still grow 235 acres of winter squash, 20 acres of sweet corn, 1,000 acres of field corn, and 45 acres of retail pumpkins.
“We started the pumpkin patch so people could experience the farm, learn about agriculture, and see crops growing to better understand where their food comes from,” says Richard. “Here, they can interact with farm animals, see pumpkins growing on the vine, walk through a corn maze, and pick fresh flowers in the field — just basically get out of the city and experience nature.”
At first, Richard says, the tourism venture consisted of a pumpkin field and a few play activities, bringing in around 1,500 visitors annually. Last year, more than 55,000 visitors came through the gates and some 12,000 kids and parents participated in field trips. The operation has turned into an elaborate seasonal fair, where families can take wagon rides, buy fresh produce, play games, or watch contests like pig races.
“This started out as what we like to call a hobby,” chuckles Richard, “and I still call it that because my full-time job is down the road. This is the side gig, and this is a BIG side gig.”
Richard shows David Posey, manager of Lincoln Bedford Moore Farmers Cooperative in Fayetteville, some of the selectively bred, bumpy varieties of pumpkins on the farm like Knuckleheads and Warty Goblins. Richard served as a director for six years at the Fayetteville Co-op and is a dedicated customer.
“The two ventures have kind of equaled out over the years though,” he adds. “We’ll do as much gross [income] here at the pumpkin patch as we would on the wholesale side of the farm, so they’re very complementary of each other. We stay busy with both the retail [agribusiness] and the wholesale markets. I have a great work crew that I manage from a distance, and they can pick and load to fill the orders every day. Although we are going full blast in October with agritourism, we’ll still ship approximately 110,000 boxes of winter squash [butternut, acorn, and spaghetti] annually to wholesalers around the country.”
Meanwhile, Richard says the “side gig” he and Shelley started has turned into a year-round job as plans begin for the next season about two weeks after the pumpkin patch closes on October 31. Bookings are continual, new additions are constructed, food and beverages for their 12 food locations are ordered, and more than 200 employees are managed and hired. Not to mention all the feed, seed, and fertilizer it takes to keep their petting zoo animals fed and fields prepped for harvest.
The Lyon Family has shopped at Co-op for their farming supplies for generations, Richard says. He recalls many years of visiting multiple stores as a youngster with his dad to purchase soil samples and much-needed supplies for their vegetable and nursery operations.
“Our family has relied on Co-op products and services for 50 or 60 years now,” says Richard. “My grandfather owned a farm in Rutherford County and he took my dad to Co-op to buy farm supplies. And I grew up on our Christmas tree and vegetable farm in Lincoln County, so from the time I was a child, I can remember going with my dad to the Co-op. Shopping at the Co-op has always been a big part of my life.”
“We’re probably in there three or four times a week all summer long honestly, getting soil samples so we know how much fertilizer to apply as well as chemical recommendations and feed,” he adds. “I don’t know what I would do without my local Co-op to be honest. They really are vital to everything we do.”
Lyon Family Farms is located at 130 Bellview Road, Taft, Tennessee, and be reached at 931-438-9938. They are open from September 19 to October 31, 2025. For more information and hours of operation, visit lyonfamilyfarms.com.
A walk through the pumpkin barn reveals the wide abundance of pumpkins and gourds available for visitors. Additionally, participants can enjoy all sorts of activities, including a corn maze, giant slides, zip lines, pig races, a ball zone, rubber duck races, jumping pillows, tube swings, obstacle courses, miniature golf, and a petting zoo.
Harvest Elementary kindergarten student Terry Hester, 5, is all smiles as he finds just the right pumpkin to take home to carve for a jack-o-lantern.
Mrs. Wright’s second-grade class from Creekside Elementary School enjoyed working with five challenging farm puzzles to maneuver the balls to the top without letting them fall into one of the holes on the boards.
There’s plenty of fall settings, like this painted, round hay bale, throughout the farm that make great backdrops for photo ops, including fields of growing flowers.
Jonathan and Mayh Franklin, along with daughter, Ari, enjoy two funnel cakes and a Sundrop slushy at one of the 12 food areas on site.
Five-year-old Dejah Chambers from Harvest Elementary School in Harvest, Alabama, enjoyed playing in the corn at the farm.
Kaiden Renew, a second grader at Creekside Primary and his mom, Jordan Martin, weigh the pumpkin they selected at the pumpkin barn.
Wagon rides are offered all day to and from the homegrown pumpkin patches so participants can select their keepsake pumpkins. All pumpkins from the fields are $6 each regardless of size.
By Page Haynes,
Contact phaynes@ourcoop.com
