OBION COUNTY, Tenn. – Kris and Rebecca Holden, of Obion County, were honored with the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s (USPOULTRY) Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award during the 2025 International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta earlier this year. The couple was one of three farms across the U.S. to receive the award.

USPOULTRY sponsors the annual award for exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production.

Applicants were rated in several categories: nutrient management planning, implementation of novel sustainability practices, community involvement, innovative litter or manure management techniques and participation in education or outreach programs. A team of environmental professionals from universities, regulatory agencies and state poultry associations reviewed applications and conducted farm visits.

“I married into a fourth-generation farm family,” said Kris, who had little farming experience before he married Rebecca. “I simply took what my father-in-law knew and I studied the practices of those who farmed before me and I attended a lot of meetings. From all that studying I applied certain methods to my farm.

“Oh, I tried to become a veterinarian but couldn’t get into vet school. I was a baseball player and had aspirations of being a Major League player someday, but that didn’t pan out, either. But I did take a lot of chemistry courses in college, so I understood chemistry, but didn’t understand soil.”

Now a fifth-generation farm, Kris and Rebecca manage the farm along with their sons, Hunter and Hayden. The family established Holden farms in 1997. They manage 2,085 acres of crops. The farm includes Holden Barns Partnership, a six-house poultry operation that was added in 2022.

Adding the poultry barns has allowed Holden Farms to reduce its reliance on commercial fertilizers. The litter generated on the farm is used as an organic fertilizer and applied on the acreage they manage following an extensive and highly effective nutrient management.

The use of poultry litter has led to substantial improvements in both crop yield and soil health, with micro-nutrients like copper, sulfur, zinc and magnesium showing steady increases.

“I experimented a lot.” Kris said. “For instance, I’d take a 100-acre field and apply three different practices on it, perhaps I’d use chicken litter, try anhydrous ammonia on a portion of it or try new corn seed trials. I did a lot of experimenting. I found great success with the poultry litter.”

Holden Farms applies poultry litter strategically, often before wheat planting, allowing for incorporation into the soil during the sowing process.

The family is also dedicated to preserving natural habitats and promoting biodiversity on the farms through the maintenance of several acres of woodlands and buffer zones. These areas serve as vital habitats for native wildlife, ensuring that local species continue to thrive alongside agricultural operations. Wildlife plots are carefully planted and maintained to provide a reliable food source for animals during the colder months.

In addition, the family manages numerous ponds across the property, which serve dual purposes – controlling runoff and providing a consistent water source for wildlife during dry periods. Despite the challenges fence rows can pose to crops, the family had made the intentional decision to preserve them. These areas support mature hardwood trees, which provide essential habitats for wildlife and contribute to environmental health by producing oxygen.

Holden Farms currently maintains five Century Farms, a program that honors family farmers who have kept continuously owned family land in agriculture production for at least the last 100 years. Three more of the farms the Holden family operates will achieve Century Farm status this year.

“My end goal was farm with the environment in mind and make it as good as I can for the rest of my life,” Kris said. “And I wanted to leave it as good as I can for my boys, especially my oldest who is 21. One day long time ago he told me he wanted to be a farmer.”

The other two winners were Lakeview Poultry LLC in Versailles, Mo., and MBK Farms of Colcord, Okla.