Farm Bureau Press

Arkansas Farm Bureau

2023 TOP YOUNG FARMERS & RANCHERS RECOGNIZED

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 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.

With the YF&R Achievement Award, the Beardens received a $35,000 prize and a trip to the 2024 American Farm Bureau Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah to compete for the national award. The Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers in Arkansas who have excelled in their farming/ ranching operations and exhibited outstanding leadership abilities. The award is designed for an individual or couple involved in full-time production agriculture with a majority of their income subject to normal production risks.