Lone Oaks, Part 2
Lone Oaks Farm in Hardeman County encompasses a working farm, The Clays youth and adult shooting sports facility, the 4-H and Youth Development Center, hospitality and corporate retreat facilities, and other recreational opportunities. 4-H’ers from Hardeman County are enjoying camp this week – learning, having fun, and making memories.
“Part of our operation is that we are really a working farm,” says Jeremy Burnett, Lone Oaks Farm’s Director. “We have livestock, fruit and vegetable gardens, row crop agriculture, and more.” The farm’s pastures and hay fields are permanently maintained for the Lone Oaks businesses of breeding Registered Black Angus cattle (up to 500 head) and producing up to 5,000 rolls and 20,000 square bales of Bermudagrass hay, the biggest producer in the county.
The farm’s cattle operation includes a cattle handling facility for artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) with a lab and a second-floor observation room. There are also two horse stables (3 and 8 stalls), two round pens, numerous paddocks, wash bays, tack rooms, feed rooms, an eight-station run-in shed, and a six-run dog kennel on the farm. A large 30,000 square foot covered building houses hay and equipment storage. The property’s original Sale Barn is now a multi-purpose facility, hosting meetings, weddings, parties, and other events. A section of the building still operates as a Sale Barn several times a year. The Sale Barn is also home to the country’s largest collection of American hand and farm tools (circa 1600-1800), creating an interesting and unique backdrop for events held in the building.
The Clays at Lone Oaks Farm was designed by nationally known course designer Marty Fischer, and was a joint project between the University of Tennessee Extension, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), Wildlife Restoration, and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. It has 14 stations offering open and wooded stations on varied terrains to challenge shooters. There are 4 trap fields available for tournaments, practice, learning fundamentals, and honing shooting skills. In addition, there are 2 skeet fields to practice shooting fundamentals for skeet and sporting clays.
A 4,000 square foot hunter education building includes a conference room and a large training area, as well as an Outdoor Pavilion, Pro Shop, and kitchens. The Clays is home to the Hardeman County Claydusters team, an award-winning team of young men and women. “The Clays is a really special part of the farm,” Burnett says. “Not only is it open to the public part of the week, we are so proud to be home to the Claydusters. Those young men and women put in many, many hours to practice and perfect their sport and that shows in the numerous awards they have won.” Plans are underway to have areas at The Clays that could host state and national shooting tournaments. The Clays is open to the public Thursday-Sunday; call the farm or check their website for times and pricing information.
In addition to the day-to-day operations and activities across the farm, Burnett and his team are always working on future projects. “We have to always plan for the future operations of the farm while remembering that we need to manage and respect these resources that are entrusted to us. I came in here to a great team of people who respect that and are proud to be a part of this world-class facility that we have here in Hardeman County. We never want to burden or overwhelm the natural aspects of the farm – those are truly our greatest resources. We all look at ourselves as the caretakers of this wonderful place. My hope for the facility is that as more aspects of the farm allow different groups of people to visit it that they will love it and be proud that something like this exists right in their own back yard.”
To learn more about Lone Oaks, renting spaces or residences, 4-H activities, and other events visit their website at loneoaksfarm.com; to learn more about The Clays, visit LoneOaksClays.com.