A Tupelo native and first-generation farmer, Will Reed, alongside his wife, founded Native Son Farm in December of 2009 with the hopes of changing the world. The farm was started as an optimistic way of confronting diet-related diseases common among Mississippians, as well as a way to pursue his passion of growing food while being self-employed. Will started farming organically during his time in California, where he also pursued a degree in cultural anthropology, studying the “agri-culture,” or the unique identity that comes along with food and farming. Early on, Will met hostility and resistance, but his perseverance paid off. The farm’s CSA program launched in 2011, an embodiment of the community’s desire for local, organic produce. 

Amanda, co-founder of the farm and Vermont native, met Will in college and followed her heart to Tupelo. She loves that the farm allows her to create opportunities for others and build a community of people who share Native’s values. Amanda is a proud home educator, integrating the practicality of farm life with her children’s educational development. It also allows her to pass on her belief of integrating a deep connection with the Earth and honoring the natural cycles of life. She is proud that the farm makes up such an integral part of her family’s personal life. One of her guiding beliefs is that one should always seek truth in whatever project they are pursuing. She enjoys the strenuous tasks on the farm, such as transplanting individual plants and hoeing the hard Mississippi clay. One of her favorite things about farming is the instant access he has to the community and vice versa. The exponential effects of fulfilling the needs of the community provide Amanda with her own sense of fulfillment. In her free time, she enjoys running and cooking alongside her children. 

Magnolia, the eldest of the Reed children, has been helping on the farm since she was old enough to do so. She’s happy to do anything asked of her but particularly enjoys bagging produce. If she had the opportunity to try out a new role, she would work in the kitchen. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and making pasta. 

Juniper’s main role on the farm is helping with bagging customers’ purchases at the farmstand and she particularly enjoys harvesting kohlrabi and lettuce. She recently started working with event planning on the farm and looks forward to future gatherings. In her free time, she enjoys reading just about anything and doing math. When she grows up, Juniper would like to be a kindergarten teacher. 

Olive helps out at the farmstand, assisting customers and bagging groceries. Her favorite task on the farm is harvesting cucumbers. If she could try a different role on the farm, she would join the kitchen crew. In her free time, Olive enjoys climbing trees and making pasta with her sisters. When she grows up, she would like to be a zoo veterinarian and hopes to have the opportunity to work with her favorite animal, black panthers. 

Iris has an eye for finding birds’ nests on the farm. One of her favorite tasks is seeding squash. 

Although he is the youngest, Wiley asks to help out on the farm every day. His favorite jobs include picking blueberries, counting eggs, holding doors, and eating fresh produce, of course. 

Toni, born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, followed her brother to Mississippi in the late ‘80s and has been neighbors with the Reeds since 1996. In 2017, after retiring from the furniture industry, Toni drove her tractor over to the farm and became a full-time employee, working in just about every role. She is now thriving at the farmstand, noting that it’s not a job to her, but more of a calling, as if it were her own company. She believes that everyone that comes through the doors is a part of the "farmily". She is proud of the relationships she has developed with her "farmily" as well as the knowledge she has gained over the years. Toni also loves to see the regular customers that drive long distances just to come to Native. During her time on the farm, she has realized the true meaning of living healthily and its importance, as prosperity is not limited to financial success. In her free time, Toni thinks about how to help Native grow by learning more about sustainable farming. Toni never leaves work completely as it keeps her mind young and active.

Drew, a Texas native, came to visit his family and work a summer job in 2017 and never left. He wears a variety of hats on the farm, but his current role involves keeping the coolers full, planting seeds, preparing the fields, planting, and harvesting. He started as the muscle of the operations in the fields and has evolved into the brains, learning a lot along the way. If he could work in any other role on the farm, he would try out the kitchen since he enjoys cooking at home. One of Drew’s guiding principles is that everybody has to eat and that is what unifies humanity; people need food and Native Son grows a lot of it. He also enjoys seeing the fruits of his labor in a concrete way. One of Drew’s greatest accomplishments, apart from being one of the longest running employees, is convincing Will to plant perennials on the farm. During his time at Native, Drew has been given a sense of purpose while being able to support his family with a job that does not require him to sacrifice his values and beliefs. In his free time, Drew enjoys doing the same thing he does on the farm, tending to his vegetables and weeding his turmeric patch. 

Lauren, a Tupelo native and proud sister of Will Reed, has been working with Native since 2017. She initially brought the farm into the digital age by setting up the internet and POS system in the farmstand. She had a brief period in which she worked at the farmstand counter before transitioning into administration management. She now oversees the side of the farm not commonly seen but greatly appreciated, such as payroll, customer communication, and taxes. One of her greatest accomplishments in getting systems in place for the growth and development of the farm over the years. She is also proud of helping create systems that have helped the farmstand grow and expand through the procurement process that includes local goods from approved vendors within a specific radius. Lauren believes that knowing the origins of our food, as well as the work and dedication required to grow it is particularly important. If she could try any other role on the farm, she would spend time in the kitchen. She would also like to help more with event planning in the future. Lauren’s current passion project is pursuing her level 2 training in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. 

Wilson, a transplant from Tulsa, Oklahoma, learned about Native son Farm at Starkville’s Homestead Education Center, while learning about how to clean up the food supply outside of the commercial network. He started in 2019 as part of the workshare program and eventually evolved into a full-time staff member that following season. Wilson’s role on the farm includes filling in whatever gap needs to be filled, ranging from harvesting in the fields, helping out in the kitchen, or assisting the farmstand crew. One role that he hasn’t tried yet but would be interesting is tractor work. Wilson’s greatest accomplishment is surviving many scorching summers in the tomato fields, especially as an older adult. In the same vein, working at Native has allowed Wilson to become more in touch with himself, revealing many of his strengths and abilities that he had forgotten about over the years. One of Wilson’s guiding principles is that God made the Earth fully capable of sustaining whatever needs we have; as long as we work in conjunction with the Earth, we will have more than enough. In his free time, Wilson enjoys exploring the woods with his dog, reading books, and hanging out with a dear friend. 

Gabe, originally from Amory, has been at Native Son Farm since 2021. Known as the “fix-it” guy, Gabe keeps machinery running smoothly throughout the seasons. He is extremely proud of everything he has learned during his time on the farm. Most of his experience comes from learning on the go and researching solutions as problems arise. He loves that NSF encourages everyone to be themselves and helps ensure that everyone is in a role that allows them to be true to themselves as well. Gabe has been travelling since the age of seventeen gaining knowledge about the power of plants and their healing properties. Reinforced by working with his hands in the soil, Gabe believes that we are all part of one interconnected system. In his free time, Gabe enjoys spending time with his two daughters, who changed his life for the better, and growing specialty crops and herbs. 

Kaitlin, a Tupelo native, grew up visiting Native Son Farm—she even recalls it being one of the first places she drove to after getting her license. She joined the team in 2023 around the start of CSA season when she heard about an opening. She has affectionately gained the title of The Fly Swatter in her role at the Farmstand register, for obvious reasons. Kaitlin sees herself as the team caretaker, ensuring that her coworkers take breaks and don’t overwork. If she had the opportunity to try a new role on the farm, she would venture into the kitchen and lean more into her hobby of baking cakes and other sweet treats. Her favorite thing to do at the farm is make displays and ensure proper signage at the Farmstand. She is extremely proud of increasing staff awareness of cross-contamination risks, especially regarding peanut products. Kaitlin holds a B.A. in English and with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Mississippi. In her free time, she writes a bit, in between gardening, knitting, and cross-stitching. She is a proud cat mom with a dog on the side.

Michael, originally from the Tupelo/Saltillo area, joined Native Son around 2022 and earned the nickname “The Muffin Man”. He cranks out not only dozens of muffins each morning, but also cookies and bread, ensuring that the store is well stocked with freshly baked goods. An uncle to two other kitchen team members, Micheal loves the opportunity to work closely with family. Michael’s greatest achievement on the farm is going from knowing little about being in the kitchen to evolving to becoming a core member of the kitchen crew. He’s noticed that during his time at NSF, he’s been the happiest and healthiest he’s ever been, especially since he’s eating the freshest produce he’s had in his life. Michael strongly believes that food should be localized and that we all play a role in taking care of each other. In his free time, Michael tends to his flower and vegetable gardens, plays chess terribly, fiddles with the bass guitar, and runs 20 miles per week. 

Maggie’s journey to Tupelo from upstate New York occurred during a hike on the Appalachian trail where she met someone from New Albany. She landed at Native Son in 2021 with 16 years of kitchen experience and became part of the farm’s original kitchen crew. Maggie’s role initially consisted of baking significant amounts of cookies and muffins, and has evolved to vegetable processing, fermenting, and a bit of making sweet and savory items. She plays a key role in reducing farm waste by repurposing vegetables into delicious products. She is always learning and evolving, with the goal of increasing sustainability efforts on the farm. Maggie thrives on challenges and the opportunity to use her creativity, such as figuring out what to do with 20 crates of squash before they spoil. One of her guiding principles is to do things the hard way and suffer through it for development and growth. Maggie values living seasonally and using whole, fresh, minimally processed vegetables when possible. In her free time, Maggie enjoys spending time with Mike, JD, and the kids. Her current passion project is teaching her 2-year-old daughter how to style her own hair.

Landon is a proud father of 3 lovely children who has been at Native Son Farm since 2019. His main role at the farm includes pest control and soil health management, drawing from five years of experience at a garden center and summers spent with his grandmother, growing peas and corn. Seeking change from corporate life, Landon joined Native and greatly appreciates the flexibility and hands-on nature of farm work. His favorite part of working on the farm is harvesting carrots in the fall. Along with the milder weather, he loves harvesting with a group of people and being surprised by the size of the carrots pulled from the ground. One of his greatest accomplishments on the farm is helping improve and streamline the compost process with other members of the team. Landon believes that, although it is immeasurable, intention matters in everything, from digging a hole to serving customers at the farmstand. In addition, Landon values the connection between people and local food, believing that we should shorten the distance between the field and table. Outside of work, Landon tends to around forty varieties of Japanese maples and shade-loving flowers with his family.

Devon has been part of the kitchen crew since 2023 after hearing about an opening from his culinary teacher. Upon completing a culinary arts vocational program at his high school, Decon discovered a deeper love for food than he expected He continued in Native’s kitchen following graduation, continuing to improve his culinary skills and confidence in a commercial kitchen. His current role includes mixing and shaping breads, processing produce, preparing scones, and just about anything else in the kitchen. Devon enjoys shaping bread the most, falling into a flowing rhythm. His greatest accomplishment on the farm has been introducing scones to the operation, because everyone loves a good scone. In his free time, Devon enjoys playing video games, mainly RPGs, such as Zenless Zone Zero. 

JD, a part of the formative kitchen crew at Native, started in 2022 after being scouted for his skills developed during his 20 years of experience in kitchen operations. He oversees baking, recipe development, and kitchen logistics, ensuring a smooth operation from inventory to production as well as supporting the goals of the kitchen staff. One of JD’s core beliefs is that people should insulate themselves against supply chain breakdowns and mitigate waste by becoming closer to their food sources. JD’s impact on the farm includes waste reduction and improved synergy due to using extra produce to create new products that attract a new demographic to the store. If JD could work in any other role of the farm operation, he would work with the farm crew in order to better anticipate the volatility of produce availability. JD is excited about moving into pastry production, which will include croissants, puff pastry, and more. In his free time, he is normally reading and researching, in order to maintain the flow of creativity, especially for seasonal work. He also enjoys hanging out with his kids and planning for the next hiking adventure. 

Roel joined Native Son in late 2024 from Hidalgo, Mexico. He comes from a construction background but loves that farming allows him to sustain his family financially. Roel enjoys harvesting peppers and tomatoes on the farm. His favorite farm fresh produce is blackberries. Outside of the farm, Roel enjoys fishing and riding motorcycles. 

Adan, from Hidalgo, Mexico, is a proud husband and father of 3 daughters. He has been at Native since 2025 and enjoys the change of pace from his construction background. One of his favorite things to do on the farm is harvest lettuce and strawberries. Adan also enjoys eating the fresh blueberries from Native. In his free time, he enjoys fishing. 

Hiram, originally from the state of Hidalgo in Mexico, has been at Native since 2025. His current role includes planting, harvesting, and preparing fields. With 11 years of experience on coffee and corn farms back home, Hiram brings valuable agricultural knowledge to the team. In his free time, he enjoys singing, drawing, and playing music. He has a special love for Native’s zucchini bread.

Hannah began working at Native Son in the summer of 2025. She is a junior studying Industrial Engineering at Mississippi State University. In her free time, she loves spending time running, baking bread, and playing just about any sport with a ball. Family is especially important to her, and she enjoys spending time with any and all of her six sisters.

Henry is a Tupelo native and anthropology student at Mississippi State University, with the goal of going into archaeology (fun fact, he completed a dig this summer before coming back to work). He started at Native in the summer of 2023, when he came in for a cookie. He planned to ask if they were hiring when Toni offered him a job before he could get the words out. Henry started out harvesting in the fields and is currently working part-time in the farmstand. If given the chance, he’d like to try driving a tractor. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction and playing music. He plays a variety of instruments, including piano, guitar, bass, viola, and a little violin.

Reagan, originally from Saltillo, started at native in the summer of 2025 after noticing it on his drives to Tupelo. His current role includes keeping the store stocked and customers happy. If he could try any role on the farm, he would join the crew harvesting in the fields. In his free time, Reagan enjoys playing sports, including football, basketball, and just about any outdoor activity. 

When he’s not filling in for one of our regulars in the Native Son Farmstand, Tim is a counselor by heart and a real estate agent by hustle—guiding people through life’s big decisions, whether it’s sorting emotions or finding the perfect home. When he’s not helping others navigate their next move, you’ll find him exploring new cities, chasing bold flavors, or getting way too invested in college football and baseball. A fan of great stories—on the page or on the field—Tim believes life’s best moments are a mix of adventure, connection, and a really good meal!