Alabama’s top young farmer will be in the green this year — John Deere green that is.As a new sponsor of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Outstanding Young Farm Family (OYFF) competition, John Deere and Co. has agreed to provide this year’s state winner their choice of a new John Deere tractor to use for six months or 250 hours. The company also provided 11 commodity division winners two tickets each to the John Deere suite at the Talladega Superspeedway for the spring race. The company also extended its offer of free use of a tractor retroactively to last year’s winner, Mike and Denise Henry of Montgomery County.Dan G. Walls, Atlanta branch product and promotions manager for John Deere, said the company’s sponsorship of the Young Farmers contest was a natural fit for the international leader in farm machinery.”John Deere’s long history is built on quality products and quality relationships, both with our dealers and with our customers,” said Walls. “Our association with the Alabama Young Farmers is already proving to be one that will bring us a great deal of mutual benefit in the future. It has been said, ‘We manufacture equipment, but we build relationships.'”Federation Young Farmers Director Brandon Moore said John Deere’s generosity shows its commitment to the future of agriculture.”Among farmers, John Deere stands for quality, and within Alabama, the OYFF program recognizes some of the best and brightest young farmers,” Moore said. “That makes John Deere’s support a natural fit, and it just goes to show that John Deere is committed to encouraging young farmers and supporting the agricultural industry.”