Meet the finalist! Garrett and Mallory Moix of Toad Suck own a Bermuda grass hay farm that serves the equine industry and they also run a 130-head cow-calf operation. Mallory works off the farm as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. They love to include their three daughters in all their farming adventures.
Meet the finalist! Justin and Laycee Story of Cauthron have 851 acres where they run a 145-head cattle operation and 150 Black Belly and Dorper Cross sheep. The Storys moved to Arkansas from Florida in 2021 after inheriting the farm and have become a strong part of the ag community in Scott County. They have three children who help on the farm.
Meet the finalist! Caleigh Watlington and her husband, Coe, have a small cow-calf operation in Buckner where they also sell alfalfa hay. Caleigh is an agricultural loan officer for Farm Credit of Western Arkansas. Being raised on a beef and poultry operation, farming has always been a big part of her life, and they are ecstatic about raising their daughter in the same environment they were raised in.
Meet the Stroud family! Cody and Olivia are fifth-generation farmers and have blended two operations where they run cattle in Carroll, Izard and Sharp Counties. Efficiency has been their greatest key to continued success. They have a 1-year-old son, Grayson, who is the proud owner of three cows and three sheep.
The 77th annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program has announced its eight district farm families, representing a wide variety of Arkansas agriculture, the state’s largest industry.
Judges will visit farms to determine the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year, who will be announced Dec. 13.
Searcy County Farm Bureau was announced as the 2023 ArFB President’s Award winner at the organization’s State Convention in Little Rock. This is the top award in the LEAD awards program in which Farm Bureau recognizes counties all over the state for their hard work in promoting agriculture and educating the public on the importance farmers and ranchers play in everyday life.
Best of luck to the Cobb, Lyerly and Owen Family/Partnership during Southeast Farm Family of the Year judging! Take a look to learn more about this family and their farm.
Ida Ruth Jones has been actively involved as a Farm Bureau member for more than 60 years; her hard work on the Women’s Leadership Committee, her dedication to continue to serve after her husband was elected to the state board and her outstanding efforts to represent agriculture in education and the public arena are just a few of the reasons she was named the Arkansas Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Diamond Award Recipient in 2022. Watch our latest video to learn more about her and her Farm Bureau legacy.
John Michael and Rachel Bearden of Friendship (Hot Spring Co.) and Chris and Brooklyn Heiser of Lamar (Johnson Co.) earned the top Young Farmers & Ranchers awards Friday during Arkansas Farm Bureau’s annual Officers & Leaders Conference at the Hot Springs Convention Center. The awards honor young farmers and ranchers ages 18-35 for the general excellence of their operations and their hard work and innovation.
Meet the Beardens of Friendship (Hot Spring Co.), winners of this year’s Arkansas Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award. The Beardens own and operate Fowler & Bearden Farm where they raise 250 cow-calf pairs. In addition to their cattle, they own a set of timber, grow hay and raise horses and cross-bred sheep. The Beardens are the sixth and seventh generation and had the unique opportunity to purchase their own part of the family farm before it transitioned ownership. Learn more about how the Beardens have built an award-winning farming operation.
