TIPTONVILLE, Tenn. (UTIA) — Lake County may be one of Tennessee’s smallest counties by population, but agriculture remains a major part of the local economy.
Home to Reelfoot Lake and roughly 82,000 acres of row crops, the county produces soybeans, corn, cotton, wheat, and canola.
Charli Jo Archie grew up in Tiptonville and now leads UT Extension in her hometown.
“What makes us really special is the rich soils and the farming tradition that we have here.”
Reelfoot Lake draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, helping support a local economy built on both tourism and agriculture.
Archie has also worked with UT AgResearch variety trials that evaluate yield potential, drought tolerance, disease resistance, and overall crop performance for local producers.
The average farm in Tennessee is about 170 acres. However, in Lake County, the average farm is roughly 1,700 acres.
Will Keiser farms about 9,000 acres in the county, almost entirely in soybeans this year. He said favorable spring weather allowed producers to get crops planted early.
“The early planted beans, there’s a significant yield increase when you try to have a bean in full maturity by the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. They make their crop with daylight.”
Reelfoot Lake was formed during earthquakes in 1811 and 1812 and remains one of the region’s best-known attractions.
