About the Company

The 290+ acre farm was purchased in 1951 by Leo W. Klarr. At the time it was a cattle farm, but Mr. Klarr soon converted it into a certified soybean seed production company.
In the early 1960’s, he was influenced by the agronomy department at Mississippi State to convert his farm into turf grass production. He built an irrigation lake and began leveling fields using an old road grader. Around 1963, he planted his first fields of Zoysia and Bermuda grass and within a few years he was planting his Bermuda grass sprigs on golf courses and athletic fields across the state. He even sent certified Bermuda grass sprigs to a golf course in Saudi Arabia.
He began to trade parcels of land with the adjacent Cascio family so he could have control of the drainage ditch which flowed between them, and which kept his irrigation lake full of water.
In 1992, Nell and her husband, John Cobb, purchased the farm from Mr. Klarr so that he could retire. John went to Mississippi State during the winter semesters and got an agronomy degree. Over the next few years, John increased the area of the production fields by 50%. 
For roughly 20 years, John planted over 25 golf courses and approximately 350 athletic fields in Mississippi and the surrounding states. At times there were two planting crews working on two different jobs at the same time. Sod sales suffered during planting season, as all resources were concentrated on sprigging jobs during that short window of time, May through August.
The long hours on the road became tiresome; and, in addition, the demand for new golf courses began to wane. Around 2010, the Cobbs decided to cut back the planting operation and concentrate their efforts on sod production and sales.
Working with a small but loyal workforce, which they employ year round, the Cobbs gradually reduced the scope of their business to what they can manage easily. With no family members wanting to continue the business, the Cobbs tried to sell the farm for a several years so that they could retire.
At the end of 2020, the Kirkley family bought the grass farm and have been working it since. Currently there are approximately 123 acres of sod fields, 20 acres of irrigation lakes, and over 100 acres of uncultivated land.