Meet Alabama’s Outstanding Young Farm Family Finalists By Marlee Moore hree hard-working couples are in T the running to be Alabama’s 2022 Outstanding Young Farm Family (OYFF). This year’s finalists, chosen after an intense application and interview process, are Mitchell and Rebecca Henry, Lawrence County; Brady and Anna Peek, Limestone County; and Daniel and Carla Trantham, Calhoun County. OYFF applicants, who are 18-35 years old, must have 50% or more of
their income subject to production risk. Following on-farm judging this summer, Alabama’s OYFF will be named during the Alabama Farmers Federation Farm & Land Expo in Birmingham Aug. 6 and will score over $70,000 in prizes. The prize package includes $40,000 toward a Ford truck courtesy of Alfa Insurance; a Gator from Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farm Credit; a year’s lease on a John Deere tractor from SunSouth and TriGreen; and an all-expenses-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Federation national
competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in January. All finalists received a Blackstone Griddle Package from the Federation.
than anything else,” said Mitchell, 28. “I pushed hard to build the farm while at Auburn. I knew Rebecca was the one for me when I learned about her upbringing (on a cattle farm) and appreciation for hard work.” The fifth-generation farmers annually manage 1,000 stocker cattle in Lawrence County, building on a foundation laid by Mitchell’s grandparents. “Instead of buying high-risk calves from the sale barn, I purchase higher-quality livestock, which produces higher-quality beef,” said Mitchell, the Alabama Farmers Federation State Young Farmers Committee chair and a member of Agricultural Leaders For Alabama. Mitchell has fine-tuned growing and harvesting corn silage and hay since
joining the farm full time. He mixes that base with protein-packed soy, wheat, corn or other ingredients, depending on cost, availability and calves’ needs. The Henrys have increased efficiency while reducing stress by working cattle on horseback; adding concrete pads near feed bunks to decrease mud; and increasing the adjustment period before working new cattle. That’s lowered disease and mortality rates, too. In the last year, they’ve bought hay equipment and added a trucking business to haul feed and fertilizer. The Henrys are growing a cow-calf herd and have sold beef directly to consumers. The couple, who attend Moulton Church of Christ, share their farm story through Young Farmers and Farm-City committees, in addition to social media. “Social media has been huge for us to help people connect with farmers,” said Rebecca, 29. “On my pharmacy school application, I wrote I wanted to work for a small pharmacy, live in a small town and be married to a farmer. I can’t wait to get home every day and hop in the feed truck with Mitchell.”
The Henry Family Lawrence County
n plush pastureland tucked inside O the Moulton city limits, Mitchell and Rebecca Henry are fulfilling a dream cultivated when the farmer-pharmacist duo met at Auburn University. “We’d rather be working on the farm
4
|
NEIGHBORS
|
July 2022
Sponsors
alfafarmers.org
