Nominated by Natasha McCrary of 1818 Farms, Kaylee & Seth Hubert were honored at our 2024 Soul of the South Awards as our Farming & Agriculture category winners.

Biography

For Seth and Kaylee Hubert, farming is in their blood. Seth’s great-great grandfather emigrated to Madison County from Bavaria, Germany, settling there with his family and a small 78-acre farm. Since then, his grandfather, with grit and determination, kept the farm alive through the Great Depression and grew the small space into a 2000-acre operation. Seth attributes his love of farming to his father, whose passing in 2003 was a jolt to the family.

When Seth and Kaylee decided to continue to build the farm’s legacy, they turned to a different path—growing tulips. Together, they desire to bring something unique to the area, a place for family and friends to enjoy the open fields in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachians.

Soul of the South Q&A

1) What was your “aha” moment or when did you decide that this was the industry for you?

Seth: For me, I’ve known since I was young that I wanted to go into farming and agriculture, as it’s what my family has done for generations. But I remember one particular day when I was watching my daughter pick flowers. She had a handful of them and I had a moment where I thought, “I bet families would love to come and pick flowers for themselves.” I had seen these amazing photos of the tulip fields in the Netherlands, and wondered if we could recreate that here. We’ve always loved tulips, as we live in my grandparent’s old house and there have always been tulips that would come up around the porch, so they’re definitely a special flower to the family.

2) How did your upbringing or time spent in Alabama shape your career?

When I think about how I grew up, it was the quintessential Alabama cotton farm, I loved everything about it. We don’t grow cotton anymore and I miss it– the smell, jumping in the wagon full of cotton, handing my dad tools. I remember getting a cushion from my grandma’s patio furniture and putting it in the floorboard of the tractor to ride with dad. Sometimes the fondest memories are the simplest—and nothing beats sweet home Alabama.

3) What keeps you moving forward in the industry, and do you have a quote or motto that resonates with you?

Kaylee: The next generation is what moves us forward—especially our children, Addie and Atlas. We started with only the land, and that was it. No equipment, seeds, or any contacts. But if we are able to give our children the opportunity to come back to the farm, to be able to give them a leg up in life—that’s what propels us. Seth always says, “there’s no growth in comfortability.” We know that trials will always come, and in our industry there are so many variables you can’t control, like the weather or the price of seed. But we can control our mindset and our attitude, and remember that we’re blessed.

4) How has your nominator made a positive impact on your idea of and/or relationship to your industry?

Kaylee: Natasha has always been so warm and kind to us— and we first met when we purchased some babydoll sheep from her. We were incredibly excited when she nominated us. She’s truly got the process figured out in terms of vertical integration, especially when you have a farm with a smaller acreage. She’s done a phenomenal job of figuring out how to direct market to the consumer, and she’s a constant source of inspiration for us.

5) What would you consider your greatest professional accomplishment?

Seth: To be able to leave the farm to our children, and to leave it in a place where it’s profitable for them to come back and make a living at. We’ve been in the same spot for over 100 years, and it’s home.

Kaylee: I’m really proud of our National Outstanding Young Farmer award in 2022, where we were in the top 10 in the whole nation. They flew us out to Hilton Head, where we were able to meet 9 other farmer couples from all across the nation, and it has brought us some of our closest friends. It allowed us to become part of the Outstanding Farmers Association, where we continue to meet top notch farmers.

6) What would you like to see more of in Alabama as it pertains to your industry?

Seth: We’d like to see more resources for the small farmer, especially for specialty crops such as tulips. Under two percent of people in the US are farmers– a small group of people who truly understand all of the obstacles with agriculture. We also need better agriculture awareness and education—many people think the food just shows up on the shelves at the store, and they don’t understand the process to get it there. We are also very community-focused, and thinking of ways to better serve our community and to help fortify food security.

This story originally appeared on SoulGrown.