As dawn breaks on their Lee County farm, a special peace falls over Garrett and Robin Dixon.

They’ll soon divide and conquer the day, with Garrett managing their cotton and peanut farm and Robin beelining to her agriscience classroom at Smiths Station High School.

But first, they give thanks for the blessing of raising their family in the quiet country community of Salem.

“Seeing sunrises and sunsets, the coolness of air after a summer shower, crisp fall mornings in a cotton field and hearing the quail call — those are experiences you only get growing up on a farm,” said Garrett, 34. 

The Dixon children reap rewards of their parents’ vocations. Chandler Jane, 3, often asks Garrett a flurry of questions from the tractor’s buddy seat while 1-year-old Cash waits his turn.

“I love teaching them why we do things and the importance of what we do,” Garrett said. “My hope is if one or both want to come back to farm, they have an easier starting point than I had.”

Garrett’s childhood was flush with rides in the cotton picker next to his grandfather, Bob Ed Gullatte. By the early 2000s, however, family land no longer produced row crops.

Determined to incorporate agriculture into his life, Garrett purchased cattle in 2008. Six years later, he graduated from Auburn University and tried his hand at growing soybeans. The crop performed poorly, but lessons gleaned were priceless, Garrett said.

By 2016, Garrett had leaned into farming full time and focused on a crop his family had grown for more than a century — cotton.

Garrett gradually picked up additional ground and grew his agronomic skills. In the decade since, he’s juggled daily duties while preparing for big-picture projects he’s since implemented, like building a shop and installing irrigation. While abundant rain this year means pivots haven’t rolled across fields, the irrigation is critical infrastructure to Garrett’s otherwise-dryland farm.

He’s also invested in technology, implemented cover cropping and moved toward a sustainable cotton and peanut rotation. He’s taken on custom work for nearby farmers, too. Those relationships, and Garrett’s strong network of farmer friends, have helped expand his farm footprint.

Robin often ferries their children to the field, runs farm errands and helps Garrett parse through big business decisions. That’s in addition to teaching animal sciences and floriculture, plus advising an FFA chapter.

“Robin may be the greatest asset we have on the farm — even more than irrigation,” Garrett quipped with a grin.

Naturally reserved, Robin credits a high school agriscience teacher with drawing her out of her shell.

“Because she inspired me so much, I wanted to be that for someone else,” said Robin, 33, who grew up in rural Florida and met Garrett while studying animal sciences at Auburn University. “I didn’t have a whole lot of knowledge of agriculture, so she taught me that, too. I want to help students come out of their comfort zones and do something they never imagined they could do.”

The Dixons’ farm journey hasn’t been without adversity. As drought, depressed markets and damaging storms hit the farm in the last decade, they’ve persevered and sought wisdom from their Creator.

“You just act on faith,” Garrett said. “Like the widow and the oil in the Old Testament, you keep emptying that cup and know that the Lord will provide.”

Memorabilia in the Dixon Farms office chronicle the Lord’s faithfulness to his family, plus their farm heritage. Garrett’s ancestors settled in Salem more than 150 years ago.

Scattered among photos are plaques paying homage to service and leadership. Garrett and Robin are involved in county Young Farmers, at First Baptist Church of Opelika and on the Alabama Peanut Producers Association board. Garrett serves on the Lee County Farmers Federation board and State Cotton Committee. He was State Young Farmers Committee chair in 2019 and graduated from the elite A.L.F.A. Leaders program Class V.

Garrett’s younger sister, Mary Kendall Dixon, has an office just across the hall in the renovated wooden farmhouse. She said her brother’s charisma, kindness and even-keeled nature give him a knack for serving others.

“He has this ability to see potential in you that you don’t see in yourself, and he’s able to pull that out,” Mary Kendall said. “I’m proud that Garrett is doing what God has called him to do and that has turned out to be on the farm.”