From John Deere to Direct-to-Consumer: Kenny Woodham's Rollercoaster Ride in Agriculture
Meet Kenny Woodham, a first-generation farmer and rancher from Henry County, Alabama, whose passion for agriculture ignited while working at John Deere. What started with eight acres of peanuts and two cows in 2010 has blossomed into a diverse agricultural enterprise, including Woodham Cattle Company, SOWEGA Meat Company, and the popular "Cooking with Kenny" online series. Kenny's journey is a testament to innovation, diversification, and a deep understanding of consumer demand in the modern food landscape.
Capitalizing on a Crisis: The Rise of Direct-to-Consumer Beef
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the demand for farm-fresh beef skyrocketed. Kenny quickly recognized an opportunity to connect directly with consumers, cutting out the middlemen who often diminish producers' profits. "Every time somebody touches your product, you're losing more and more of the end profit," Kenny explains. This realization led to a significant shift, with Woodham Cattle Company selling around 40 head of freezer beef directly to consumers in that first year of the pandemic.
From Farm to Fork: The SoWEGA Meat Company Story
The desire to add more value to his herd and support fellow producers led Kenny and his partner to acquire SOWEGA Meat Company in 2023. This full-scale processing plant in Colquitt, Alabama, has become a cornerstone of their direct-to-consumer strategy. Beyond beef, SOWEGA Meat Company processes lamb, hogs, and even offers local produce and direct-to-consumer milk sales.
Kenny emphasizes the importance of providing a diverse range of products. "We've got to have middleman because anybody that's producing any amount of product whatsoever, you can't go straight to table with it." However, for niche markets and value-added products, SOWEGA Meat Company allows them to "capitalize on that."
With processing at their Colquitt location and a dedicated meat market in Headland, Woodham's reach extends through distributors across Alabama, partnering with local restaurants who are eager to showcase locally sourced ingredients. Restaurants like The Bottletree in Headland and Southern Roots in Malone proudly feature Woodham's filets, ribeyes, and smoked pork chops on their menus. This visibility creates a powerful connection with consumers. "When you're riding down the road and you see our name somewhere and you go in a shop and you see our name, it just ties the whole process back in together," Kenny says.
Diversification Beyond Livestock: Row Crops and Resilience
While cattle are a significant part of the Woodham operation, traditional row cropping remains a core component. From those initial eight acres, Kenny now farms around 4,000 acres, cultivating crops such as cotton, corn, and peanuts. Acknowledging the current challenges in traditional farming—high input costs and low commodity prices—Kenny highlights how diversification helps them navigate these hurdles.
"That was another reason we tried to diversify out, to try to capitalize on some of the parts of the farm that were making money and also utilize some of the subpar land," he explains. This approach allows them to use land less suitable for row crops for cattle grazing and hay production, creating a synergistic system.
Furthermore, being beef producers provides a crucial marketing advantage for their grain crops. Instead of solely selling corn to a grain terminal, they can feed it to their cattle, turning it into high-value beef. "We've got options," Kenny says. "If the market comes back up, we can sell it... or we can feed it through our cattle and capitalize the high price of cattle right now."
"Cooking with Kenny": Educating and Entertaining
What started as a joke between Kenny and a friend has become "Cooking with Kenny," a popular online series that highlights lesser-known cuts of beef and inspires home cooks. One of their most-viewed videos featured a braised beef hump—a cut many didn't even know was edible! Kenny aims to challenge conventional thinking, like showcasing how to smoke a chuck roast in the summertime, moving beyond its traditional role as a winter crockpot dish.
"We're trying to shine light on some of the lesser known cuts and add value also for our producers and ourself to some of these cuts," he explains, mentioning cuts like osso buco and picanha. This initiative has not only gained a following but also attracted sponsorships and led to exciting opportunities, including an upcoming state championship cookoff. Kenny is even bottling his own Cajun Creole pineapple injection, bringing his unique flavors to a wider audience.
Cooking has always been a part of Kenny's life, a love he inherited from his father. "It's just kind of ignited something inside of me," he shares, especially the joy of "showing it off and cooking outside, just doing unconventional stuff, whether it be a whole gator or a whole goat."
Kenny's Advice: Take the Leap
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Kenny's advice is simple: "Just do it... just go for it." He encourages seeking out mentors and trusting your gut. "If you got a gut feeling about something, just go after it."
His ultimate goal? To maximize the potential of all their resources—land, animals, and more—while providing customers with a safe, nutritious product they feel good about. "At the end of the day, this is a people business in all aspects of agriculture," Kenny asserts. The positive feedback from customers who return week after week, or commend his cooking videos, fuels his passion. "Just give it your all every day. And if you got something that's giving you trouble, don't worry. You're going to figure it out. Just keep on getting after it."
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