LITTLE ROCK — Eight district winners in the 62nd annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program have been named.

The district winners will be judged individually and vie for the title of Arkansas Farm Family of the Year. The eight families will be recognized and the state winner announced Dec. 12 at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.

The district winners are:

• Kyle and Dana Cowart of Salem (Pike County) in the West Central District. The Cowarts — with children Dodge (11) and Kallee (10) — own 100 cow/calf pairs and four bulls, along with a timber and hay operation. Additionally, the Cowarts own a feed store and farm supply business in Glenwood and Kyle is pastor of the Mt. View Missionary Baptist Church.

• Rick and Rita Foster of Viola (Fulton County) in the North Central District. The Fosters have four children, 11-year-old Renea, 10-year-old Raeleen, 8-year-old Ryan and 7-year-old Kevin. They grow fescue seed and hay and have a 2000-head cow/calf and stocker operation.  

• Wayne and Kristi Hays of Alma (Crawford County) in the Northwest District. The Hays grow 800 acres of wheat, corn and soybeans in addition to a 260-head cattle operation. They have two sons, 13-year-old Bailey and 10-year-old Jared.

• Orelan and Tena Johnson of England (Lonoke County) in the East Central District. The Johnsons have two adult children, Wade and Angela Ward, and five grandchildren. Wade is part owner and manager of the farm, while Angela handles bookkeeping and office duties. Their operation consists of 4,200 acres of cotton, corn, rice, soybeans and wheat.

• Reed and Becky Koger of Rosston (Nevada County) in the Southwest District. The Kogers have one daughter, 10-year-old Devin. Their operation consists of 75 – 100 head of beef cattle, 110 -150 stocker calves, two Del Mesa pullet farms, and   640 acres of mixed grass and bermuda hay.

• J & M Farms of Gillett (Arkansas County) in the Southeast District. The operation is partnership between Jody Holzhauer and Mike Dodson. Jody and Lynn Holzhauer have two adult children, Blake and Erin Holzhauer Simon, while Mike and Sheila Dodson also have two children, 24-year-old Bryce and 17-year-old Mallory. Collectively, they raise almost 3,000 acres of rice, soybeans and wheat.

• Terris and Kim Matthews of Wynne (Cross County) in the Northeast District. The Matthews have two children — Jaylie (7) and Taycie (5) — and have a diverse operation, which includes 800 acres of sweet potatoes, 735 acres of soybeans and 500 acres of wheat. In addition to the farm, they own a custom jewelry and accessory boutique located at the farm headquarters.

• David and Connie Ruhl of Dardanelle (Yell County) in the Western District. The Ruhls have two adult sons, Nate and Mike, and two grandchildren, Emily and Jonathan. Their operation includes two broiler farms, Arbor Road Farm and Ruhl Farm, which combined produce more than 3.6 million chickens per year. The Ruhls also raise 50 head of cattle, grow and sell hay off 265 acres, and sell poultry litter to adjacent farms. Nate and Mike are actively involved in all aspects of the farm and manage the two broiler operations.

“These district winners are to be applauded for their commitment to agriculture, their communities and families,” says Stanley Reed of Marianna (Lee County), president of Arkansas Farm Bureau.

“It is a worthy endeavor to draw attention to their diverse farming enterprises, which, in many cases span several generations, and represent the best-of-the-best in Arkansas agriculture, the state’s largest industry.”

The Farm Family of the Year program begins each year with selection of top farm families in each county and culminates in December with the naming of the state Farm Family of the Year. County, district and state winners all are judged on their farm production, efficiency and management, family life and rural/community leadership and values.

Sponsors of the Farm Family of the Year program are Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Press Association, 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. Support for the program is provided by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Rural Development.