Our Story
Ivester Family Farm is nestled in the beautiful, rolling hills of Anderson County in East Tennessee. It is a Tennessee Century Farm and has been in the family since 1917. In the 1920s, Howell Ivester and his son, Loy Ivester, purchased it and began farming. Later, Loy and his wife, Emma, moved on the farm and started their family. For many extended family members in the area, the farm was a means of survival during the hard times surrounding the Great Depression and WWII. The farm has been preserved over the years by Loy and Emma’s oldest daughter, Barsha, and her husband, Lee Ruble, who bought the farm from Loy in 1970. Barsha and Lee’s son, Sam, grew up on the farm and helped his dad raise cattle and grow tobacco.
Today, Sam and his younger son, Jacob, now work on the farm to produce fresh eggs, chicken, pork, beef, and blackberries for Knoxville and the surrounding area.
We raise our livestock on lush, green pasture, where they enjoy fresh country air and sunshine and are never subjected to hormones or antibiotics. Our pasture-raised meat and eggs are healthy alternatives to conventionally-raised meat and eggs.
If you haven’t tried our big, juicy blackberries in the summer, you truly don’t know what you’re missing! Our berries are naturally grown on the farm with organic fertilizer only and no pesticides ever!
We are committed to growing healthy, wholesome food, and our farm is growing! We plan to add grass-fed beef and pasture-raised broilers to the healthy options we offer next year!
We love all things local, and we love to support our local community. We donate to our church and its ministries, Knoxville Area Rescue Mission, local Veteran’s Groups, and volunteer at the Bread of Life Food Pantry.