Langley Farms in southern Hardin County has become known for its high-yielding row crops.

The farm was recognized by the Kentucky Soybean Board a few years ago, when it raised the top full-season single irrigated soybean crop that yielded 96.8 bushels per acre. It is also the reigning state champion for irrigated yellow corn yield at 311.46 bushels per acre.

“We grow a little over 3,000 acres total, so we'll be about half and half – 1,500 acres of corn and 1,500 acres of (soy)beans,” second-generation owner Drew Langley said. “The market will change those rotations a little bit, but we're not going to out-guess the market, so we'll try to stay about 50/50 on our acres.”

Drew Langley, back left, with his wife and children

The Kentucky General Assembly designated April as Soybean Month. April is the month when spring planting gets underway.

“We’ve got a few beans in the ground,” Langley said April 3 from the farm near Glendale. “It seems like people are planting soybeans earlier and earlier. Soybeans need sunlight, and the way to get those soybeans sunlight is to get them in the ground earlier.

“We'll hit the ground hard running with bean and corn planting here in April and May, and try to get this crop off to a good start and pray we are blessed with some timely rains this summer,” he added. “We know the longest day of the year is June 21, so our goal is to have soybeans in reproductive mode by June 21 so they can take in that sunlight.

“Hopefully, that will lead to a bountiful harvest this fall that'll keep us busy through … October and November, and we’ll have the opportunity to move that crop throughout the winter months.”

Langley Farms sells its soybeans to a Kentucky processor, Owensboro Grain Co.

“Here in Kentucky, we've got some great soybean markets,” Langley said. “Soybeans are a big crop here in this state.”

Soybeans were the third most valuable commodity from Kentucky sold in 2022. The beans brought in $1.38 billion, up 48 percent from 2017, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Poultry and eggs ($1.79 billion) and corn ($1.46 billion) placed first and second, respectively.

“The product itself, the soybean oil, it’s in almost everything you use on a day-to-day basis,” Langley said. “You pick up anything in the grocery or in a store; you look. It's probably got soybean oil in it in some way, shape, or form.”

Langley Farms was started by Drew’s father in 1978. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Drew joined his dad in the family business in 2011.

“I've been here full-time since then and enjoy what we do,” Drew said. “Doing what you know and being able to make a living on it was one reason not to change.

“All these markets have had their ups and downs, but soybeans have been strong the last two or three years. You know, even with commodity prices suppressed some right now, soybeans are still at a pretty good profitable level as long as we can raise a yield that's pretty good…. I think the demand side is going to keep the market from getting to where we can’t be at a profitable level.”

Despite media concerns about corporate farming, 96 percent of American farms are family-owned, including Langley Farms and most of its neighbors.

“I know every farm around us … are all family farms,” Drew said. “The people that are running the operations today, they're the family that started these farms.”

Drew called farming “a way of life and an opportunity to teach kids hard work.”

“It's a neat opportunity to be able to raise a family on a family farm and let them (kids) see what we do on day-to-day basis,” he added. “It truly is something different than just a job.”