COVINGTON, Tenn. – There’s all forms of agritourism used to attract the urban dweller to the farm, but pizza is certain to appeal to one’s palette.

Turner Angus Farm, a multi-generational, 400-acre farm in Covington, has been home to registered Angus cattle since 1933. And in 2023, the family went to work renovating an old L-shaped cattle barn that hasn’t been used for more than 50 years. That barn is now an open-air dining pavilion with tables, chairs and brick pizza oven that offers 11 different pizzas to choose from. Thus, the name Turner Angus Pizza Farm.

Turner Angus Pizza Farm is 35 miles north of Memphis and sells herd bulls and replacement females to commercial producers throughout the Southeast. Each Saturday night they open that L-Barn and sell wood-fired oven pizzas to the public, allowing them to eat pizza in view of the cows. Pizza is served from March until the weekend before Thanksgiving.

“The farm was purchased in 1853, so it’s been in our family for more than 170 years,” said Ann Johnson, who manages Turner Angus Pizza Farm and is an agriculture teacher at nearby Munford High School. “My grandfather left the farm to my father, and after my father passed away in 2022, we were trying to figure out a way to diversify the farm and incorporate agritourism. Covington is a bedroom community to Memphis where a lot of people don’t live on a farm, so we wanted to share farm life with them and provide an educational experience for our community.”

Johnson got the idea of pizza on a farm in 2023 after visiting a dairy farm in Wisconsin during an FFA trip. That farm did the very same thing.

“It was a cool concept because it was fun and lively,” Johnson said. “Pizza farms are more common in that area because of the dairy industry. There is an abundance of cheese to use. I knew we could do this. We had done catering and hosted events as a family, so it was in our skill set.”

The family went to work on the L-shaped cattle barn, one which was used only for storing hay and equipment.

“It was the perfect barn for this,” Johnson said. “It has windows on two sides, so you can look out on the farm and see the cows.”

The family purchased a pizza trailer and customized it. They even traveled to Texas and took a cooking class to learn how to make pizza most efficiently, with the best quality ingredients.

Upon returning home, the family crafted a menu that includes farm-inspired pizzas topped with Turner Angus Farm beef. Such offerings include a Bacon Cheeseburger pizza with the farm’s own ground beef and beef bacon adorned with mayo, mustard and pickle relish. There’s the Philly Pizza made with Turner roast beef, sweet peppers and caramelized onions, and The Jennie, a pizza with a white sauce base with Turner roast beef and caramelized onions topped with fresh mushrooms.

Others include The Herd, a pizza with house-made marinara sauce with bacon and garlic, piled high with spinach, mozzarella cheese and olive oil. And perhaps a crowd favorite is The Latino, one with a roasted red pepper mayo base with ground beef, lamb sausage and caramelized onions topped with smoked gouda and drizzled with a jalapeno jam.

They also offer apple crumble and cheesecake, each drizzled with honey from beehives on the farm.

After dining, guests can step inside the family’s retail store and purchase beef from the farm. The Johnsons also sell local pork, lamb, chicken, eggs and produce.

“The pizza brings the community to our farm and helps us educate them about locally sourced products. My understanding is that we are the first pizza farm in Tennessee,” Johnson said.

The Turner Angus Pizza Farm opened for business in September, 2024 and became a hit from day one. The farm hosts roughly 200 guests every Saturday evening.

According to Johnson, all family members have a role in making this farm-related business a success. Eight family members work in the pizza trailer and another 18 family members work various other jobs. Some prep the pizza and oversee the oven while other family members deliver the pizza to tables and pick up trays. Some family members drive golf carts, transporting guests from the parking lot to the barn.

“We are truly a close family, and everyone plays an important part,” Johnson said.

The pizza farm is open on Saturdays only because all family members have off-farm jobs.

The family’s 2025 season will run through Nov. 22. That Saturday they will host their “Cowboy Country Christmas,” which will include photos with Santa, mini-photo sessions for families, a petting zoo, mini train and more than 40 vendors and booths to make ornaments and wreaths.

“The pizza farm has been great, but at the end of the day, it’s all about raising quality cattle and keeping the farm in the family,” Johnson said.

The pizza farm is open every Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. from April through the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Dining times are available by reservation only.