Rooted in Service: How Tarwater Farm & Home Supply Continues to Grow While Staying Grounded

By Jen Leclair
Photos by Brian Peters

Just inside the entrance of Tarwater Farm & Home Supply sits an old truck that once served as the store’s first makeshift forklift. It’s still there today, serving as a reminder of where the business started and, in some ways, how little the family’s approach has changed since 1978.

Now under the ownership of siblings Levi Tarwater and Megan Steinebach, the business continues to grow under the same principles their father, Rich Tarwater, and their grandparents established.

GROWING SEASON

Ask Levi and Megan what has sustained Tarwater Farm & Home Supply for nearly five decades, and their answers come quickly and in unison: “Customer service.”

Levi says word-of-mouth referrals are the company’s most effective form of advertising. The store answers its own phones without a recording, staffs a counter rather than self-checkouts and loads purchases into customers’ vehicles at a loading dock. The kind of service, Levi and Megan say, that is becoming harder and harder to find.

“We’ve always tried to keep the focus on the customer,” Levi said.

Even the store’s roadside marquee, positioned just above their great-grandfather’s truck, reflects that personal touch.

Tarwater began in a converted filling station, where the founders saw an opportunity to meet a growing need for feed and agricultural supplies. It was an unconventional pivot at the time, but one that led to decades of growth.

“That willingness to adapt is still part of who we are,” Levi said.

While roughly 80% of the store’s core offerings have remained consistent, including feed, seed and farm supplies, the remaining 20% is in constant motion. Levi and Megan are always asking: What are customers asking for? What are we missing?

A major turning point came in 2007, when the business needed to grow to support multiple family members entering the operation. Tarwater decided to expand into outdoor power equipment by partnering with Stihl.

That move helped shape the three pillars of the company: farm and home retail, agricultural services and outdoor power equipment. Agricultural services account for roughly half of their revenue.

Further growth came in 2011 with the construction of a new 20,000-square-foot showroom and shop, along with additional outdoor display areas and warehouses.

In 2020, the business added a second location in Holton, operating out of the former Holton Farm & Home building. It is smaller than the Topeka store, but carries much of the same products, including outdoor power equipment, with an emphasis on hardware items like paint and plumbing supplies.

The formerly small, family-run business now employs almost 50 team members across its two locations.

“It didn’t feel like a gradual climb,” Megan said. “It felt like we went from 15 employees to 40 overnight.”

RAISED ON THE JOB

For Levi and Megan, Tarwater Farm is where they grew up.

From sweeping floors and stocking shelves to weighing birdseed and working the counter, both siblings learned the business from the ground up. Levi spent much of his early years in the warehouse, while Megan gravitated toward the retail side.

Their father, Rich, held them to a high standard, often higher than other employees. He always emphasized the importance of doing the little things the right way.

As Levi remembers it, Rich had a guiding principle: “Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.”

That detail-oriented mindset still guides the business today, along with a commitment to maintaining a clean, organized environment, which is something Megan says other industries often overlook.

Although the transition of ownership from Rich to Levi and Megan only became official in early 2024, it was years in the making. Rich gradually stepped back, giving his children the opportunity to lead, calculate risks and make decisions.

“It was very gradual,” Levi said, adding there is more pressure now, not only from the financial responsibility, but from the realization that they are now the final decision-makers for a business that supports dozens of families.

“There’s no ‘make Dad the bad guy’ anymore,” Megan said with a laugh.

Despite the added pressure, both owners say the company culture hasn’t changed. What has changed is their perspective, including their willingness to grow the team, allowing for greater flexibility and improved work-life balance.

“I went to every one of my son’s football games this fall,” Levi said. “That wouldn’t have been possible before.”

As the business has grown, the owners say they have become more intentional about maintaining its family-oriented culture.

“It’s about treating people like people, not numbers,” Levi said, adding that this philosophy applies to both customers and employees.

“It doesn’t take much right now to stand out,” he added. “Just acknowledging someone when they walk in the door puts you ahead.”

Megan agrees, noting that simple gestures like offering to carry a bag of feed or taking time to listen can have a lasting impact.

“You never know what someone is going through,” she said. “You might be the best part of their day.”

Over the years, Tarwater Farm has supported organizations such as the Topeka Rescue Mission, local 4-H and FFA programs, churches and schools.

They’ve donated supplies for community events, contributed to fundraisers and encouraged customers and employees to support other local businesses.

PLANTING FOR TOMORROW

Tarwater’s website provides an overview of the brands and products it carries, but e-commerce is not yet available. Levi and Megan say they are exploring options, though they acknowledge it would be a significant undertaking.

“It’s a balance,” Levi said. “We want to maintain that hometown feel, but we also know how people shop today, and how they’ll shop 10 years from now.”

Even as they embrace new technologies, Levi and Megan say their customer service approach hasn’t changed.

“Yes, we have what you need,” Megan said. “But more importantly, it’s who we are as people. You can trust us. You’ll be seen. You’ll be taken care of.”

For those who have never stepped inside, Levi’s pitch is simple: “Come and find out.”