Arkansas Farm Bureau recently named finalists for its annual Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Achievement Award and Excellence in Agriculture Award.
Finalists include one from Southeast Arkansas. Winners will be announced at the organization’s annual Officers & Leaders Conference at the Hot Springs Convention Center, July 19-20, according to a news release.
The awards honor young farmers and ranchers between the ages of 18-35 for the general excellence of their operations, their hard work and innovation.
YF&R ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FINALISTS ARE:
• Mark Welty of Lake Village (Chicot County). Welty grows soybeans and corn on 2,000 acres in southeast Arkansas. He also manages 60,000 acres in Arkansas for Oak River Farms, a farm management company. He and his wife Annie have one son, Thomas.
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• James and Ashton Dixon of Hindsville (Madison County). The Dixons have six broiler houses on 44 acres where they expect to grow 5.7 million pounds of chicken in 2021. They also will remove and sell roughly 1,400 tons of litter per year between flocks.
• Brad and Tara Peacock of Bald Knob (White County). The Peacocks rent 1,000 acres, on which they grow soybeans, rice and corn. Brad Peacock also helps manage a 2,000-acre family row-crop farm with his father. The Peacocks have one son, Silas.
The winner will receive a $35,000 cash prize and a trip to the 2022 American Farm Bureau Convention at Atlanta to compete for the national award. The two runners-up receive $5,000.
EXCELLENCE IN AGRICULTURE AWARD FINALISTS ARE:
• John Michael and Rachel Bearden of Friendship (Hot Spring County). The Beardens raise cattle, sheep, performance horses and hay along the Ouachita River. John Michael Bearden is the Malvern High School agriculture teacher, and Rachel Bearden is the Hot Spring County Extension agent. They have two children, Linden and Lexi Grace.
• John and Sara Crangle of Bismarck (Hot Spring County). The Crangles are first-generation cattle ranchers, running a small but rapidly growing 65-head cow-calf operation. John Crangle is an agriculture science teacher and FFA advisor for the Bismarck School District, and Sara Crangle works as a registered nurse for Baptist Health. They have two daughters, Paisley and Jodie Kate.
• Jeffrey and Julie Tubbs of Jonesboro (Craighead County). The Tubbs have a small cow-calf operation and have plans to expand to a farm-to-table operation, growing local produce such as sweet corn, onions, squash, green beans, purple hull peas and tomatoes. Jeffrey Tubbs works for Rabo Agrifinance as a crop insurance manager. Julie Tubbs is a school counselor at Jonesboro’s Westside High School. They have two sons, Jett Ryan and Jax.
The winner of the Excellence in Agriculture Award will receive $11,000 cash prize and a trip to the Farm Bureau Convention to compete for the national award. The two runners-up will receive $1,500.
Details: www.arfb.com.