TKO Farming-Mississippi

Rooted in Legacy, Growing Opportunity at TKO Farming

For Teresa and Kevin Springs, farming is about more than growing food. It's about preserving a family legacy, caring for the land, and creating opportunities for future generations.

The couple stewards 73.3 acres in McCool, Mississippi, on land that has been in Kevin's family for more than four generations. After inheriting the property from Kevin's mother and stepfather in 2016, Teresa and Kevin relocated from South Florida to continue the legacy and build a diversified farm focused on sustainable agriculture, conservation, and community education.

Over the past several years, with support from partners including Winston County Self Help Cooperative, NRCS, and Mississippi State Extension, the Springs family has implemented more than 30 conservation practices. They have expanded vegetable, cattle, goat, and poultry production while investing in critical infrastructure such as a high tunnel, pump house, and storage facilities.

"TKO is grounded in histories, knowledge, practices, and traditions," Teresa says. "Our mission is to work with nature while improving the economic and environmental sustainability of local families and their children."

That mission extends far beyond the farm gate. Through their Education Exchange program, Teresa and Kevin welcome college students, youth groups, and community members to learn sustainable farming practices, livestock husbandry, composting, food safety, and Black land stewardship. By creating opportunities for elders and young people to learn together, they are helping preserve agricultural knowledge while inspiring a new generation of farmers and land stewards.

Today, TKO Farming serves as both a working farm and a community resource, using agriculture as a tool for education, food justice, and connection.

A grant from American Farmland Trust's Brighter Future Fund will help the Springs family address one of their most persistent challenges: protecting vegetable crops from wildlife damage. Since 2020, deer and rabbits have repeatedly damaged crops, threatening both production and farm income. Funding will support installing about 1,750 feet of fencing around two acres of vegetable fields, replacing an aging fence in place since the late 1980s.

Rather than pursuing wildlife removal, the Springs family chose a solution that aligns with their commitment to stewarding the land in harmony with nature.

The new fencing will help protect crops, strengthen the farm's long-term viability, and ensure TKO Farming can continue serving as a place where agricultural traditions, conservation, and community come together. Thanks to the Brighter Future Fund, Teresa and Kevin are better positioned to grow food, share knowledge, and carry their family's legacy forward for generations.