BIOGRAPHY
Dees Seed Farm has been in operation for more than 60 years. And continued to grow and get
handed down over the last 3 Generations. Starting with Cabel Dees in 1961 farming Bahia Grass and
Corn, and harvesting and processing seed with the headquarters located in sunny Central Florida.
Cabel worked alongside his youngest son Lawrence in the long days of the summers taking care of
the fields and growing the operation. Lawrence would finish out his time in the military and soon find
Donna, the woman he would plan to grow the family with during this adventure, and have their first
child together, Chad, in 1972
In 1974, while expanding what will be known as the family legacy, they welcomed in a daughter, Kelly.
Their operations then brought them to North Florida where they decided to plant their family's roots
and build a family compound in Blountstown. Lawrence and Donna would work alongside Cabel
learning new things to continue the operation and growing in an ever changing market. They
continued growing the family with the newest member being their daughter Kelly and several more
years later expanding one more time with their son Clay in 1982.
In 1990 Cabel would step away from the grueling summers, meals on the road and the stress of
keeping up with the current farming market as prices fluctuated, and turn everything over to
Lawrence. Lawrence would spend his days sweating and working harder each day to keep the farm
afloat. With his kids beside him learning the trade it made it easier to keep pushing on the harder days
when Lawrence and Donna didn't know if they would make ends meet that season. Farm life isn't your
normal 9 to 5. There is no time off, even when the season is out, it's constant work and upkeep to
maintain fields and livestock. It's daylight to dark and some days run into the next with no stopping.
You survive off of nature's temperament for the day and the longest prayers that never seem to have
an end because there's always one more thing you're having to ask God for. You have to predict the
weather and hope it works out the way it's supposed to or risk losing everything. And you do it all in
hopes of just surviving. A farmer will spend their days putting more back into the earth than what they
take from it because that's the way of the simple life.
In 1994, Kelly chose to build her forever with Dan Wyrick. Together they carried forward the same
southern-rooted, faith-centered lifestyle she had been raised in, grounding their marriage in hard
work, family, and tradition. Meanwhile, Chad and Clay remained on the Seed Farm alongside
Lawrence, steadily expanding operations across the southern tri-state region and strengthening the
foundation that had already been laid.
Years later, new chapters unfolded. In 2016, Chad found his life partner in Kenzie, someone equally
committed to preserving and growing the life he had always known. At the same time, Clay and Carrie
chose the same path together. Lawrence and Donna watched their family branch out in different
directions while still moving toward the same purpose. What felt like a blink of an eye to them became
the only life their children have ever known, and the one they are determined to carry forward with
their own families.
Each branch grew in its own way. Kelly and Dan established Heritage Land Management in
Blountstown FL. Chad and Kenzie continued the Dees Seed Company name through harvesting and
seed processing. Clay and Carrie launched Tri State Harvesting to meet the rising demand for custom
work. Different businesses, same roots, same team effort. The same commitment to land, legacy, and
leaving something stronger for the next generation.
With farming becoming harder to survive in America, meant something had to change in order to keep
the family legacy alive. Each year more farmers were losing the ability to survive on the land they
poured their lives into. As the years went on and the need for dependable harvesting increased,
farmers turned to us with confidence, knowing their crops would be handled with care and precision.
Not many people know that a farmer's payment for his crops hasn't changed since the late 70s even
though grocery prices are rising. Which means the farmer carries the burden of making it work, so
they are not left struggling to feed their own family, and the land doesn't get lost
Dan, Chad, and Kenzie stepped into careers in Law Enforcement, Fire Services, EMS, and Nursing to
help carry the financial load while the family businesses adjusted to the shifting demands of society.
Every change was made with one thing in mind: protect what had been built, strengthen it, and leave
something solid behind for their children. The hope has always been to see it endure into a fourth
generation.
