By Marlee Moore

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, Jan. 9 — Alabama farmers Daniel and Carla Trantham today were named the nation’s top young farm family during American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This is the first time an Alabama Farmers Federation farm family has won the Achievement Award.

“From the moment I saw the state award given at a state conference, winning this contest was my goal,” Daniel said. “This national award was the icing on the cake. This is a dream come true for our family.”

As winners, the Tranthams of Calhoun County will receive $35,000 toward purchasing a Ford vehicle and registration to AFBF’s FUSION Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. The Tranthams were eligible for the Achievement Award after winning the Federation’s Outstanding Young Farm Family contest in August 2022, where they scored over $75,000 in prizes.

Federation President Jimmy Parnell applauded the Tranthams for their hard work, dedication and impressive win.

“Young farmers like Daniel and Carla give me incredible hope for the future,” Parnell said. “They have a tremendous family operation, and we are so proud for the whole family. This award is a testament to the time they have put in and the love they have for agriculture.”

The Tranthams are raising five children — Davis James, Sadie Leigh, Anna Kate, Sawyer Davis and Callie Faye — on the family farm in Alexandria where Daniel was raised.

“This organization has changed the way our future will go, and it changes the trajectory of our kids’ lives,” Carla said.”

Since joining the farm full time in 2010, Daniel has doubled, and in some cases tripled, every aspect of the row crop, cattle and feed business. 

“I’m most proud of our commercial feed business,” said Daniel, 34. “People wanted to buy feed, so once we saw we could fill that need, we went back to planting more corn and wheat.”

The Tranthams bag and sell 80 tons of feed and grain weekly at their storefront and through feed stores. Direct marketing reduces price fluctuations and offers a steady stream of revenue. They also sell wheat straw and Bermudagrass hay while improving yields on 1,000 acres of corn, wheat, soybeans and cotton through irrigation and seed selection. Since 2010, Daniel has more than doubled grain storage and more than tripled his cattle herd to 300 head.

Daniel’s family also operates a trucking company, where Carla manages payroll. The business hauls feed and birds for poultry integrators across the Southeast. The Tranthams give back to their community by coordinating farm days and speaking to hundreds of schoolchildren about farming annually.

Daniel is the Calhoun County Young Farmers chair; serves on the Federation State Soybean Committee and State Wheat & Feed Grain Committee as an ex-officio member; and is president of Trantham Farms. Carla serves on the Federation’s State Women’s Leadership Committee.

The Alabama Farmers Federation is the state’s largest farm organization with 345,000 member families and represents every county in Alabama. It’s an affiliate of American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents 6 million farmers across the country.