Larry and Virginia Kepley, Grant County, Kansas, were recently honored as one of six couples inducted into the 2021 class of Kansas Master Farmers and Master Farm Homemakers. These awards are in recognition of their leadership in agriculture, environmental stewardship and service to their communities.
The statewide awards program is in its 95th year and is sponsored by Kansas State University Research and Extension and Kansas Farmer magazine.
Little did Larry and Virginia know that a blind date as students at K-State would turn into more than a half century of farming success. That chance encounter led to marriage, two children—son Tad and daughter Kimberly—and a farm that not only has supported their family but has contributed positively to the local community.
Over the years, the Kepley family farm has been home to beef, hog and wheat operations. Larry has participated in U.S. Wheat Alliance trade missions to promote wheat exports to Mexico, Uruguay, Vietnam, Argentina and Canada.
Larry, who earned a degree from K-State in agricultural education, worked for the Farm Management Association and as an Extension agent. Over the years, he has been a member of numerous boards, including the Farm Credit Association, Southwest Kansas Irrigation Association, Kansas Wheat Commission, American White Wheat Producers and the Grant County Fair Board. He’s a founding board member of the Southwest Kansas Pork Producer Board and the KANCO Crop Insurance Agency.
The list of awards Larry won over the years includes the Grower of the Year from the Kansas Wheat Growers Association; Farm Credit Distinguished Service from American Ag Credit; the Kansas Seed Grower of the Year and the Master Seedmen’s Award from the Kansas Crop Improvement Association. The Kepley Farm also was recognized as Century Farm by Kansas Farm Bureau in 2017.
Virginia, who graduated from K-State with a degree in home economics education, was active with Ag in the Classroom, at one time hosting fifth and sixth grade classes on tours to identify more than 25 types of trees on the homestead.
As a farm family, the Kepleys note that a Bible verse sums up their experiences: For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord; plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11). “This is a scripture that we think still bears fruit in our lives. We’ve had experiences that we never dreamed possible for a farm girl from Sumner County and a farm boy from Grant County.”
