By Maggie Edwards 

Farm Bureau means family for Henry County’s Emmanuel Bankston. 

A passion for agriculture and heart for service set the foundation for Farm Bureau involvement that’s spanned three states — and three State Young Farmers Committees. 

“This organization is a family,” said Bankston, the Alabama Farmers Federation State Young Farmers Committee vice chair. “It built me and helped me become who I am today.” 

The son of a Marine, Bankston is no stranger to hard work, having spent childhood summers on his maternal grandfather’s cattle farm in Georgia. 

“My favorite quote is from a college professor who said, ‘Everything I have, I can thank a cow for,’” said Bankston, a Henry County Farmers Federation board member. “As a kid, feeding cows with my granddad, a Georgia Farm Bureau member, was a treat. I’m grateful to continue his legacy of farming — even though it’s in a different place.”

After moving around military bases as a child, Bankston found sanctuary in South Carolina. That’s where he began FFA and agriscience classes. It’s also where he became a Farm Bureau member at age 17.

Joining South Carolina Farm Bureau (SCFB) was a way to create a farmer network, Bankston said. 

“My FFA project was a pine straw business,” said Bankston, a former South Carolina FFA state officer. “When I went to the local SCFB office, I wanted to make connections to lease land for baling. They encouraged me to apply for the SCFB Youth Ambassador program, and I got in.” 

From there, Bankston’s story surged. He excelled in agriscience education at Clemson University and served on the SCFB State Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee in college.  

Following graduation, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) food company hired Bankston for a role in grain exports. That led to his second state Farm Bureau membership, this time in Louisiana. 

Bankston served on the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation State Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee before accepting a job with ADM Golden Peanut in Headland, Alabama, in 2018. 

“I wanted to move back east, and I wanted farm land,” Bankston said. “Once I saw Headland, I knew I was going to put down roots.” 

The first Alabama Farmers Federation leader Bankston met was then-Area 8 Organization Director Boyd Deal. 

“Boyd welcomed me to the Wiregrass with open arms,” Bankston remembered. “He encouraged me to get involved with Young Farmers. I formed Henry County Young Farmers (HCYF) because of Boyd.” 

Bankston said establishing HCYF is one of his greatest accomplishments. Owning a cow-calf operation and winning the 2020 Excellence in Agriculture competition are among his favorites, too.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from,” he said. “If you’re with good folks, you’re home. I have my Alfa family, a dream job and good cattle to raise.”

Federation Young Farmers Division Director Hunter McBrayer said Bankston is an encouragement to Young Farmers across the nation.

“Emmanuel is an example of passion mixed with hard work,” McBrayer said. “I’m impressed with his ability to handle things that are thrown his way. He does it all with a smile. Alabama is blessed to have him.”

Bankston has recently become a face for American agriculture and was featured in Farm Bureau advertisements during Super Bowl LIX.

“I joined Farm Bureau with nothing but a dream,” Bankston said. “People helped me even though I looked different from them and wasn’t from their town. So many strangers took time to invest in my future. I want to do the same for others.”