The finalists in Arkansas Farm Bureau’s annual Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award and Excellence in Agriculture Award have been announced. The awards honor young farmers and ranchers between the ages of 18-35 for the general excellence of their operations, their hard work and innovation.

The Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers in Arkansas who have excelled in their farming/ranching operations and exhibited outstanding leadership abilities. The award is designed for an individual or couple involved full-time in production agriculture with a majority of their income subject to normal production risks.

The 2018 Achievement Award finalists are:

• David and Brittany Carwell of Cherry Valley (Cross County). The Carwells own B & D Land and Cattle, LLC., a beef cattle operation with 45 cow/calf pairs. They also have B & D Genetics, LLC., a full service ruminant reproduction company, and Delta Livestock Diagnostics, Inc., which offers diagnostic testing for livestock producers nationwide.
• Chase and Krystal Groves of Garland City (Miller County). The Groves are involved in several agriculture businesses. They have a cattle operation and a custom fertilizer application and custom hay baling business. Chase is a founding member and owner of a genetics marketing company known as New Day Genetics. They have two children, Gentry and Cash.
• Tyler and Randi McDonald of Lewisville (Lafayette County). The McDonalds have a poultry production business, a custom hay and sprigging operation, raise purebred Angus and commercial cattle and grow commercial pecans. They have three children.

The winner will receive a $35,000 cash prize and a trip in January to the 100th American Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans to compete for the national award. The two runners-up will receive $5,000.

The Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who actively contribute to and grow through their involvement in agriculture and Farm Bureau. The award is designed for an individual or couple who do not earn the majority of their income through farming.

The 2018 Excellence in Agriculture Award finalists are:

• Tyler E. Davis of Ashdown (Little River County). Davis, market president for Diamond Bank, grew up on a cattle and row crop farm in Little River County. He operates a purebred Charolais and commercial cattle farm and raises show pigs for sale.
• Michael and Lauren Lee of Conway (Faulkner County). The Lee’s cattle business is a cow/calf operation that focuses on marketing beef directly to the consumer. Lauren is a financial consultant and Michael manages his family’s farm. They have two children, Mary Elliott and Adelaide Grace.
• Jared and Michelle Pass of Hartford (Crawford County). The Pass family owns and operates Pass Farms and Mountain View Ranch, a 200-acre farm where they raise cattle horses, chickens, goats and grow hay. Jared is a production supervisor for Simmons Foods and Michelle is a licensed therapist. They have two sons, Brody and Blaine, and one daughter, Bristol.

The winner of the Excellence in Agriculture Award will receive $11,000 cash prize and a trip to the 2019 American Farm Bureau Convention to compete for the national award. Two runners-up will receive $1,500.

The winners of the state awards will be announced at the organization’s annual Officers & Leaders Conference at the Embassy Suites in Rogers, July 23-24.

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For more information, contact:

Maddison Stewart
(501)-228-1394
maddison.stewart@arfb.com

or

Rob Anderson
(501) 228-1640
rob.anderson@arfb.com