Meet The Useltons

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Hi! We are the Useltons! ~ Russ & Leann

We have been married 21 years and reside in Tennessee! We live on our farm that we have owned for almost 20 years and own just a little over 40 acres. We lease land for the rest of our operation. We have lots of animals but our closest fur babies are Bella, Crash, Sonny and Miss Kitty, oh and Rosie--the cow I saved! She gives me a good lick on occasions, but Russ is her favorite. She can definitely be a heifer some days! ha! Some say we are workaholics, and that we probably can't contest.

Let me start! Hey ya'll! I'm Leann, I am in my 40s. Let's leave it at that, shall we?! I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management with emphasis in Human Resources from Middle Tennessee State University! #trueblue I work outside the home running the back office for my family's business (16 years), am a proud licensed Realtor (16 years), and run a little fun side gig where I hustle activewear! I love a full plate and thrive during the busiest of times. I love all things fitness, home, and fashion--that is my jam and I could chat all day about any of them! You can find me in high heels, tennis shoes, or my muck boots. And some days, that might be the order all in the same day! My Mr. Farmer says he loves a woman that can come home, kick off her heels and slip on her sassy muck boots, and still be just as bad ass. You know I can't wear plain boots. They will be leopard, pink, or something just sassy. No plain 'ole boots for me. Got to sassy them up! That's how I roll ya know!

Now, let's talk about my Mr. Farmer. Meet Russ. He is in his 40s too and well, we will leave that alone as well, but he is older than me, just a tad bit. Ha ha! Russ is also a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in Ag Business. Russ is a 1st generation farmer and I could not be more proud of him. We started this operation from the ground up and he is 100% the brains, the back, the all....behind all of it. We have a commercial cow calf operation, stocker cattle, hay, and row crops. Our cattle operation started with 5 heifers and a dream in 2002. He has been farming full time since 2008, when he left public work to pursue his life long dream of farming, and working for himself. In 2018, Mr. Farmer took another leap of faith and decided to dive into row cropping. An opportunity arose to lease some additional crop ground, so he took the opportunity to diversify. We are now in our 4th season and our crop acreage has quadrupled since 2018.

Mr. Farmer doesn't like to have attention drawn to him, but I could not be more proud and even boastful of all his accomplishments. Starting from the ground up is nearly impossible, but when he sets his mind to something, nothing will stand in his way. We took a huge leap of faith and buckled down with no extra spending and we did what we needed to do to build this operation. It was never easy. But, Mr. Farmer doesn't just farm. He leads and advocates for the agricultural industry every day.

Russ served as President for the Middle Tennessee Beef Producers for 5 years. He served on the local Farmer's Co-op Board for 6 years, President 2 years. Currently he is in his 5th year serving on the Tennessee Beef Industry Council, where he has held numerous positions including current position of President. Russ is also a delegate to the Federation of State Beef Councils, where he travels multiple times a year to Denver, CO and serves as a Co-chair on the Nutrition and Health committee. You may also recognize his face from any farming publication that you may have, or at your local stockyard. Yeah--I am married to a centerfold, but DON'T tell him I said that! He would kill me! Yep, he is famous.....sort of. He is famous to me, anyways! To say I am a proud farmer's wife is an understatement.

This farm life is never an easy life, but it is our life. Built from the ground up, blood, sweat, and tears. Yes, many tears (those were from me!), I left the blood to him....almost cutting off his thumb, but hey--that's another blog story. I will save that one for later! :)

We would not trade it for anything. Times get hard, but we have to remember why we are doing this thing together and it boils down to one thing. A dream that became a reality.

To sound cliche'....This is Us....We are the Useltons!

~xoxo,

Leann