MONTGOMERY — A Morgan County teacher/farmer was recognized by the Alabama Farmers Federation at its 101st annual meeting Monday. The event honored the organization’s Young Farmers.
Josh Melson, who teaches agriscience at Brewer High School in Somerville, won the Excellence in Agriculture category. Excellence in Agriculture competitors receive less than half their income from production agriculture.
“Even in college, I knew I wasn’t going to be a full-time farmer,” Melson said. “My question has always been, ‘What can I do to make an impact on agriculture?’
“Receiving this award is humbling and helps me know I make a difference in our industry.”
For his win, Melson received a zero-turn lawnmower from Corteva Agriscience and a Blackstone Griddle Package, courtesy of the Federation.
Melson, who operates a 40-head cattle farm with his wife, brother-in-law and father-in-law, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn University.
Melson said he takes an interactive approach to lessons, like when students developed a livestock facility to see how animals move through equipment.
“It makes them think on a large scale,” he said. “We may have a future cattle producer sitting in the class, so my hope is after they design the facility at school, they can take that information to the farm.”
Melson will represent Alabama nationally during American Farm Bureau Federation contests in Puerto Rico in January.
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