When the going gets tough, Garrett Dixon gets going — digging in, doubling down and asking God for guidance on his Lee County farm.

“I love farming in spite of all its challenges because you see the fruits of your labor rewarded,” said Garrett, 35. “When you plant a tiny seed and then harvest a crop in the fall, it’s satisfying knowing you were with that crop every step of the way.”

Calm determination is classic Garrett, said his wife, Robin. She’s been Garrett’s stalwart teammate since their early days as students at Auburn University.

“Garrett is the most driven person you’ll ever meet,” Robin said. “That inspires me daily. He gets up every day trying to get as much work done as possible.”

She added, “He’s also goofy. Anyone who knows Garrett knows he will pick and mess and make a joke.”

His farm, however, is no laughing matter.

It’s a labor of love Garrett built from the ground up, starting with a few head of cattle in high school. He found his true passion for farming in the row crop fields of Salem — land his ancestors toiled since the 1800s.

A skip-generation farmer, Garrett started with 100 acres of soybeans in college before switching to a rotation of peanuts and cotton. The crops are more suited for sandy soil and thrive in hot weather, Garrett said.

“As a peanut farmer, I help feed Alabama,” Garrett said. “By growing cotton, we can clothe the world and state, too.”

In the last decade, Garrett has expanded acreage, installed irrigation and improved soil fertility, facing challenges like tough markets and weather woes along the way.

Garrett and Robin recently welcomed a new challenge by expanding the farm’s cattle herd. The cattle spend summer months grazing peacefully in recently acquired pasture; they’ll munch fields flush with cover crops this winter — adding even more value to the land.

The Dixons are investing, too, in their young farmhands, Chandler Jane, 4, and Cash, 2, who are often found visiting Garrett at his shop, scouting for bugs or hitching rides in the sprayer.

This year, a sign sways in a field of young cotton proclaiming CJ’s Pickin’ Patch. The handful of rows near Garrett and Robin’s home is a classroom of sorts for the Dixons’ daughter.

“We’ll take some of those proceeds and give to her to use as she wants to teach her to be responsible, to tithe and to take some ownership, albeit a small slice, at a young age,” Garrett said.

The investment in the farm’s seventh generation mimics Garrett and Robin’s childhood experiences selling bottle calves and show pigs, respectively.

Robin’s sphere of influence extends beyond their home. As an agriscience teacher and FFA adviser at Smiths Station High School, she ties on-farm experiences into curriculum standards. 

 Her students calculate sprayer formulas after watching footage of Garrett driving machinery across a field, discuss animal husbandry while clicking through slides of the Dixons’ herd and even visit the farm to see agriculture in action.

“They buy their groceries in the store but don’t think about where their food comes from,” said Robin, who cultivated a love for agriculture through FFA in her native Florida. “With my personal perspective, it really opens their eyes when I’m late to school because the cows got out or whatever it is that’s happened on the farm.”

The Dixons additionally live a life of service to their community through church and political involvement. 

They’re also committed to grassroots organizations.

Garrett has chaired the State Young Farmers Committee, serves on the Alabama Peanut Producers Association board and is a Lee County Farmers Federation board member. He’s also graduated from two elite leadership development programs — A.L.F.A. Leaders Class V and the Peanut Leadership Academy. Both Dixons have held various roles in Lee County Young Farmers.

Each area of service yields rewards far beyond what meets the eye, Garrett said.

“He knows how this will play out,” Garrett said. “Knowing He is sovereign gives you a sense of peace. That transcends agriculture.”