This story is the fifth and final profile of the people selected as the DTN/Progressive Farmer's 2026 America's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers program. Today, we introduce Katy and Houston Howlett of Camp Nevin Farms, from Glendale, Kentucky.

See Houston and Katy Howlett's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers video profile at https://bcove.video/…

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Two and a half years ago, Houston and Katy Howlett stood on the subfloor of the house they were building, frame open to the sky, construction clutter all around. Word had it that a neighboring farm might be up for sale. They looked out over patchworks of woodlots and cropland, and talked through possibilities.

"We have all rented land. The biggest risk to our operation is land availability," Katy explains. "We talked about the strategic pieces of land that may be coming up for availability, how we were going to save for it. That was our dream."

But, in 2022, the ground beneath the Howletts crumbled with the announcement of BlueOval SK, a $5.6-billion joint venture between Ford Motor Co. and SK On, a South Korean electric vehicle battery manufacturer at Glendale, Kentucky. It's the largest-ever industrial investment in the state. The first of two buildings is producing batteries for Ford's all-electric F-150 Lightning. The second building is not yet operating.

The buildings are immense, 96 acres each, their tall, white sides shimmering in the summer heat, visible from the Howletts' front porch. The factory's high-wattage lights burn so brightly at night they dim the stars. Country roads are being reshaped, new water and sewer lines buried alongside. An occasional red fire hydrant squeezes up to rows of green corn -- an omen of change to come.

EVERYTHING CHANGES

"This is personal. This is the house I built in the country forever, and now my country has two huge battery plants on it," says Katy, who, with Houston, is raising two young children, ages 5 and 2.

BlueOval has flipped the land market. Within a few days of the announcement, the Howlett farm lost acreage to the greater financial promise of commercial and residential development. Land prices sprang up from $15,000 an acre for good ground to $100,000, even $200,000. It is difficult to see where this land market tops off.

"We just don't have any expectation of consistency from year to year," Houston adds. "I've honed my financial analysis of what we farm, but now, there's no way to lock anything in, investing in infrastructure like grain bins and a shop, or making decisions about labor and equipment purchases -- to even grow."

Houston and Katy both grew up on farms in Kentucky. Houston's dad, Paul, raised feeder cattle and farms 300 acres today. Katy grew up on a cow-calf operation. Her father, Lanny, and grandfather, Bob, also have a Belgian draft horse breeding operation.

Houston is a University of Kentucky graduate with a degree in ag economics and worked as an agronomist at Peterson Farms, in New Hope, Kentucky. Katy graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree from the University of Mississippi. She is a project manager for Altec, responsible for managing several engineering and software projects for the company, which provides products and services for the electric utility, telecommunications, tree care, lights and signs, and contractor markets.

EARLY DAYS

On their first date in 2016, Houston showed Katy his first 40 acres of soybeans. He had drained his $20,000 in savings to buy his first piece of equipment. "On our second date, I helped him move equipment," Katy says. "From there on, I knew what I was getting into." They were married in March 2018.

The Howletts call their business Camp Nevin Farms, named for the Civil War-era Union Army camp once ensconced there along tree-lined creeks. Today, their farm is 1,500 acres, a large portion of it gained from Don Summers, a longtime farmer who Houston had come to know.

"There are few people in this world that have had as profound of an impact on my life than Don Summers," Houston says.

In February 2016, Houston's farming career had reached a crossroads. He was looking for new opportunities. One rainy day, he ventured over to Round Top Farms and knocked on Summers' door. "Mr. Summers, my name is Houston Howlett," Houston began. "I wanted you to know that I am available for any help you might need on the farm." Summers stood there in the doorway, nodded his head as Houston made his pitch to him, and said, "OK," then closed the door. "I returned to my truck thinking, 'Welp, at least I tried.'"

DON SUMMERS' FARM

Later that summer, to his surprise, Houston received a call from Summers. "He was looking for someone to help him during corn harvest, someone who knew their way around a combine," Houston explains. "We struck a deal, and as they say, the rest was history."

It was an arrangement that would last for several years. "One fall day, I climbed up into the combine to ride around with him. He looked at me and said, 'I'm done." Houston asked, "Don, what does that mean?" "He said, 'This is the last year I'm going to farm.'" He offered Houston his entire farm on a lease.

"That was such a significant change and a big blessing that was presented to me, a big opportunity that allowed us to really push forward," Houston explains.

Summers died this past summer. Camp Nevin Farms now faces new uncertainty.

The Howletts have hard work ahead of them. "I would say there's not a day that goes by that we don't have some sort of business-oriented conversation, whether it's tactical, how we're going to get things done, or about our overall strategy," Katy says. "We're very fortunate that we have very similarly analytical personalities but different backgrounds."

ONE RULE

Camp Nevin Farms works by one ironclad rule: "We agreed early on that the business should stand on its own financially," Katy says. "It's driven us to make more unemotional decisions, because an emotional decision could mean the end of the business."

The couple values outside mentors. One is Jordan Shockley, Extension professor, farm management and poultry specialist and Extension coordinator at the University of Kentucky. "He is extremely risk averse," Houston says. "But he is the type of person I look for, people who disagree with me. He has taught me how to be objective in evaluating costs such as interest, depreciation and equipment."

Similarly, the Howletts are clients of Farm Credit Mid-America. They participate in its Growing Forward program, which provides access to farm loans and offers educational opportunities, such as setting financial goals. The Howletts were runners-up in that program's 2024 Forward Thinker Award competition that recognizes farmers who pursue innovative practices that push their operations forward.

"Farm Credit Mid-America has stood with us through the growth of our operation," Katy says. "I think a lot of that is because we did analysis and had breakevens and worst cases before we walked into their office. We had clearly thought through our decisions and really understood our financial position."

"We focus heavily on agronomic analysis and business financial management," Houston adds. "I have detailed budgets. I've already done my purchasing with suppliers before we really start rolling in the season."

Houston admires Katy for her financial perception. "Sometimes, I can spend a whole day working on a spreadsheet, trying to put something together and analyze something. She will look at it, read it, understand it and give me feedback on it. It really blows my mind that she's capable of understanding it, to the level that I need her to, that quickly."

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Editor's Note: This is the fifth and final profile of our 16th class of America's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers sponsored by DTN/Progressive Farmer. They are among the best of their generation who have chosen agriculture as a profession and lifestyle. The annual award recognizes five farmers and ranchers under 40 who best represent the pioneering promises of American agriculture: Farmers and ranchers who are innovative, imaginative and who work to improve their communities. Nominations are judged on the operations' overall business plan, as well as the farmers' involvement in the community and the ag industry. We're already seeking nominations for our 2027 class. If you know someone (you can nominate yourself or family member) or would like more information and a nomination form, contact Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Dan Miller at dan.miller@dtn.com and cc DTN Social Media and Young Farmers Editor Susan Payne at susan.payne@dtn.com.

See more in the series:

-- America's Best Young Farmers/Ranchers-1, "The Weight of Legacy on Young Arkansas Farmers," https://www.dtnpf.com/….

-- America's Best Young Farmers/Ranchers-2, "Make Memories on the Farm," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

-- America's Best Young Farmers/Ranchers-3, "Nebraska Farm Family Seeks the Right Balance," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

-- America's Best Young Farmers/Ranchers-4, "Growing the Family Tree in Iowa," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

To hear more about this year's class, check out DTN's Field Posts podcast, Episode 275: 2026 Best Young Farmers and Ranchers at https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @DMillerPF

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