BIRMINGHAM – A pair of area couples were named finalists in the 2023 Outstanding Young Farm Family contest, hosted by the Alabama Farmers Federation. They were joined by another pair of area couples who were division winners. The families were recognized Saturday during the federation’s Young Farmers Conference in Birmingham.
Mitchell and Rebecca Henry (beef division) of Lawrence County and Brady and Anna Peek (wheat & feed grain division) of Limestone County were finalists.
The finalists received a Solo Stove firepit from the Federation and will compete for nearly $80,000 in prizes during on-farm judging this summer. The state winner will be announced during the organization’s Farm & Land Expo in August.
Ben and Jessica Johnson (soybean division) of DeKalb County and Seth and Kaylee Hubert (fruit & vegetables division) of Madison County were division winners.
All division winners will serve one-year, ex-officio terms on their respective state commodity committees, where they’ll see the policy development process firsthand and help guide research, promotion and education work.
The statewide contest is for farmers ages 18-35 who receive most of their income from production agriculture. It measures success based on farm growth and diversification, Farm Bureau involvement and community leadership.
The OYFF contest also helps grow involvement in and develops leaders for the state’s largest farm organization, said Federation Young Farmers Division Director Hunter McBrayer.
“This contest is about more than winning prizes,” McBrayer said. “As an organization, it is incredibly important to recognize the accomplishments of the next generation of farmers. It’s also about encouraging engagement and finding ways to get the next crop of leaders deeply engaged in the Federation.
“We’re proud of these finalists and division winners and applaud them for their hard work building outstanding farms across Alabama.”
The Henrys raise stocker cattle in Moulton.
“It means a lot to me because I had a couple of uncles that were finalists and also a cousin, so I guess it’s sort of carrying on a family legacy in a way,” Mitchell said. “So, we’re just looking forward to the next generation.
“We’ve got one on the way. Looking forward to that and being able to let him ride along on the tractor.”
The couple are Beef Division winners and will serve a one-year, ex-officio term on the Federation’s State Beef Committee, where they’ll see the policy development process firsthand and help guide research, promotion and education work.
“It’s an honor to represent our families and our state as well in this position (on the committee), so we’re very grateful,” Rebecca said.
The Peeks grow row crops in Athens.
“We’re just largely thankful for the opportunity that we get to farm and that we’ve been able to grow our operation from what was a dream to where it is today,” Brady said.
As Wheat & Feed Grains Division winners, they will serve a one-year, ex-officio term on the Federation’s State Wheat & Feed Grains Committee, where they’ll see the policy development process firsthand and help guide research, promotion and education work.
“When we first started dating one of the first things Brady said to me was talking about how involved he is in the Farmers Federation and that he wanted to compete in this competition,” Anna said. “So, it’s just really cool to be able to watch that grow. And we’re excited to add a baby to the mix as well.”
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