|
LITTLE ROCK — Eight district winners in the 65th annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program have been selected.
The district winners will be judged and the state winner
will be announced at the Farm Family of the Year luncheon on Dec. 9 at
the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.
The district winners are:
-
Darick and Leesa Brown of Viola
(Fulton County) in the North Central District. The Brown’s raise
commercial beef cattle, commercial meat goats and harvest fescue
seed on 2,817 acres. They have three children, Devin, Lakynn and
Dalton.
-
Jerry and Renee Boeckmannof
Wynne (Cross County) in the Northeast District. Jerry and Renee
Boeckmann grow rice and soybeans on 2,000 acres. They have three
children, Heather, Leigh and Tyler.
-
GC Farms of Augusta (Woodruff
County) in the East Central District. Gary and Evelyn Coles own GC
Farms. They grow grain sorghum, oats, rice, soybeans and wheat on
11,257 acres. They have three children, Brian, Matthew and
Michael.
-
Maury Hill Family of Fayetteville (Washington County) in the Northwest District. Maury
and Daleen Hill grow hay and chopped haylage on 487 acres. They
also have 300 cows and calves, plus other stocker cattle. They
have two children, Dale and Shannon, and seven grandchildren.
-
Heath and Betsy Long of Tichnor
(Arkansas County) in the Southeast District. The Long’s grow
rice, soybeans and wheat on 2,243 acres. They have two children,
Shelby and Sydney.
-
Ken and Rhonda Rudder of El
Dorado (Union County) in the Southwest District. The Rudder’s grow
garden produce, fruit and hay on 96 acres. They have five
children, John, Kevin, Keith, Laura and Rachel.
-
Chris and Lesley Simmons of
Arkadelphia (Clark County) in the West Central District. The
Simmons’ grow corn, rice, soybeans and wheat on 4,000 acres. They
have one child, Lane.
-
Leslie and Melissa Oates of
Pottsville (Pope County) in the Western District. The Oates run
120 cow/calf pairs, and grow soybeans, wheat and Bermuda hay on
902 acres. They have three children, Garrett, Brett and Carson.
“Congratulations to each of the great farm families who have
been named district winners,” said Randy Veach, a cotton farmer from
Manila (Mississippi County) who serves as president of Arkansas Farm
Bureau. “I’d also like to extend congratulations to those families who
were recognized as county Farm Families of the Year as well.
“Agriculture is the backbone of our state. In fact, it is
the largest business sector of our economy as well as the core of our
state’s cultural fiber. Everyone in our state should take pride in the
great farm families that are being recognized this year, and applaud
them for their commitment to agriculture and their ongoing success.”
The Farm Family of the Year program begins each year with
selection of top farm families in each county and culminates in December
with selection of the state Farm Family of the Year. County, district
and state winners all are judged on their farm production, efficiency,
management, family life and rural/community leadership.
Sponsors of the Farm Family of the Year program are
Arkansas Farm Bureau, the Arkansas Press Association, the Electric
Cooperatives of Arkansas and the three Farm Credit agencies that serve
Arkansas, AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit of Western
Arkansas and Midsouth Farm Credit. Additionally, support for the
program is provided by the Arkansas Department of Career Education,
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and the USDA’s Farm
Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Rural
Development.
|