By Marlee Jackson

Three hard-working couples are in the running to be named Alabama’s Outstanding Young Farm Family (OYFF), an honor that nets the winner bragging rights and more than $70,000 in prizes.

Contest finalists are Drew and Lauren Wendland, Autauga County; Garrett and Robin Dixon, Lee County; and Whit and Amanda Lovelady, Talladega County. The winner will be announced during the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Farm & Land Conference in Montgomery Aug. 3.

The Federation’s Young Farmers Division organizes the annual competition for members who are 18 to 35 years old and receive most of their income from production agriculture. It can be a life-changing competition, said Hunter McBrayer. 

“Many of our past and current Federation leaders have competed in the OYFF contest, where they learned about networking, engagement and leadership development,” said McBrayer, the Federation Young Farmers Division director. “That tells me we’re not just handing out prizes; we’re developing strong leaders who are passionate about agriculture and are committed to serving others.”

A panel of judges narrowed the pool of applicants to three families during interviews earlier this year. A fresh slate of judges then visited finalists’ farms this summer, further scoring the Wendlands, Dixons and Loveladys on farm improvement, Federation involvement and community leadership.

“Alabama has shown time and time again that we have a top-notch Young Farmers program,” McBrayer said. “Our OYFF has made the Top 10 in six out of the last eight national contests. That includes a Top 3 finalist and a national winner. I am proud to have the opportunity to showcase our young farmers each year.”

The OYFF will receive a prize package courtesy of generous perennial sponsors. This includes $40,000 toward purchasing a new Ford truck courtesy of Alfa Insurance; a John Deere 825i Gator sponsored by Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farm Credit; and a lease on a John Deere tractor provided by SunSouth and TriGreen. The OYFF will represent Alabama during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Achievement Award contest in January 2025 in San Antonio, Texas.

Both runners-up will receive a $500 cash prize thanks to Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farm Credit. First runner-up will earn a 250-hour lease on a Kubota tractor, while second runner-up nets a custom chemical package from Corteva Agriscience. All three families received a custom Yeti cooler from the Federation. 

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The Wendland Family, Autuaga County

KERPLUNK.

A smile spreads across Drew Wendland’s face as his sons sink another rock into Bear Creek.

“I think my favorite thing about getting to live on the farm is the experiences the boys get to have,” said Drew, 30. “They love to throw rocks and jump on hay bales. They also help us check crops and are learning the differences of each. That was an important part of growing up here for me.”

“Here” is Autaugaville, a tight-knit farm community in Autauga County. It’s where Drew and wife Lauren are tending their most precious crop — Mills, 4, Smith, 3, and Rhett, 3 months.

It’s also the hub of Autauga Farming Co. There, Drew works with his father, Andy, and brother, Dan, to maintain a century-long legacy while making measured changes to streamline operations.

“When Drew came back to the farm (in 2016), he came with such an attitude of thankfulness for what generations had done before him,” said Lauren, 30. “He has made it his mission to do all he can to make the most of all he’s been entrusted.”

The Wendlands split farm management roles, with Drew tackling labor and agronomic crops. That includes cotton, corn, oats, soybeans, sesame and wheat, plus pasture and hay fields. He helps with other enterprises, too. The farm includes cattle, a fertilizer business, custom tractor work and a newly expanded market for square bales of straw and hay.

Drew is admittedly competitive, though he’s often competing against himself. Detailed budgets and data captured through precision agriculture drive his decisions. Drew documents successes and failures in production manuals, which include step-by-step processes so workers can pick up where others left off. 

“I don’t mind making a mistake, and I don’t mind admitting that I made a mistake, but I do not want to do it twice,” said Drew, an Auburn University agronomy graduate. “I’m trying to make something that’s repeatable, consistent, uniform and scalable.”

Sharing those expectations has become especially important as longtime employees retired. To solve the labor shortage, Drew enrolled the farm in the H-2A program, a step into uncharted territory that continues to pay off four years later.

Managing six guest workers has refined Drew’s leadership skills. So has involvement in county Young Farmers, Agricultural Leaders For Alabama and The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers, a national training course.

It’s encouraging to see his sons build on the farm’s legacy, Andy said.

“Having a younger generation that sees things in a new way has been good for us,” he said. “I was afforded that opportunity with my dad (the late Buzz Wendland). He gave me enough rope to let me get tripped up but not hang myself. I try to give the boys the same opportunity. If it’s practical, productive and profitable, we’ll give it a shot.”

Some recent strategic changes are paying dividends, like expanding their square bale business, updating logistics for handling grain, and marketing calves and cotton as “certified sustainable.”

Others are chalked up to learning experiences, like the pumpkin patch Drew and Lauren partnered in during fall 2020. The patch was popular, though timing in the heart of harvest and calving season strained their focus. While the patch is no longer open to the public, the Wendlands still grow pumpkins with their sons and share those adventures on their Swamp Brothers social media account.

Lauren balances home and farm life while working three days a week as a nurse practitioner in Selma. There, she connects patients to the rural life she’s embraced since marrying Drew in 2017.

“It’s been eye opening to learn how hard farmers work and how they dabble in a little bit of everything,” Lauren said. “Drew is a manager, businessman, agronomist, entomologist, operator and mechanic. Farmers wear a lot of hats.”

Drew donned one more this spring when Lauren unexpectedly delivered their son, Rhett, at home. 

“Drew stepped up to the plate with his medical knowledge in the bovine category of birth, and he caught the baby,” Lauren said with a smile.

The story is already Wendland lore. It’s a testament, too, to their commitment to family.

“Farming really can be family oriented,” Lauren said. “We take full advantage of that by involving the boys, and they truly love it. That brings me and Drew joy, too.” 

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The Dixon Family, Lee County

At just 2 years old, Chandler Jane Dixon is an ace at racing down rows of cotton. Her pure joy is infectious and reminds her father, Garrett, of his childhood on the same Lee County soil.

“You learn a lot of life lessons on the farm,” said Garrett, 33. “At her age, Chandler Jane can tell what fields are cotton and what are peanuts. Other than growing up out here, you wouldn’t find kids that young who can pick up on things like that.”

Chandler Jane gets her curiosity honest. Garrett and his wife, Robin, are self-described lifelong learners who have grown their row crop and cattle farm through trial and error, research and carefully cultivated relationships with mentors.

Robin’s role models include her high school agriscience teachers, who inspired her love for agriculture. She’s paying their lessons forward at Smiths Station High School, Garrett’s alma mater.

“I use Garrett and his experiences a lot in class,” said Robin, 32, who teaches plant and animal agriscience classes. “There are so many misconceptions out there. Telling my students the actual story of agriculture is important to me.”

She’s also learning alongside her favorite pupils — Chandler Jane and 2-month-old Cash.

“I’m experiencing farm life for the first time and get to see the joy in Chandler Jane’s eyes when she sees Garrett pull up to the house on a tractor,” said Robin, who grew up in rural Florida. “The science of raising row crops really does fascinate me, and learning from Garrett is awesome.”

Garrett’s maternal grandfather, the late Bob Ed Gullatte, planted the young farmer’s first seeds of agricultural knowledge. Garrett’s childhood in Salem was flush with tractor rides through fields he now tends.

The farm transitioned away from row crops when Bob Ed died. Garrett was just 10. As a teenager, Garrett baled hay with his uncle — hard work that fanned the flames of his desire to farm.

“I didn’t know exactly what it would look like, but I knew I wanted to farm,” Garrett said. “Eventually, the Lord provided that opportunity.”

Dixon Farms developed slowly but surely. When he and Robin met at Auburn University in 2014 while studying animal sciences, Garrett had already grown his first crop on formerly fallow land and was managing a small herd of cattle.

That first year was a learning experience, Garrett said.

“I was trying to minimize the amount of money I had to borrow, and soybeans were cheaper to grow,” Garrett said. “They burnt up and didn’t yield. That was a reality check and really solidified the need to grow cotton and peanuts.”

Those two crops now make up Garrett’s primary rotation. He’s invested untold hours into improving the soil, transitioning fallow or overgrown land into productive acreage. Grid-sampling to check, and then correct, soil fertility has resulted in increased yields. 

Garrett has also invested in precision-agriculture technology, plus irrigation pivots. The young leader’s outgoing personality has helped root strong relationships with landowners, eventually expanding his farming footprint through custom mowing, fertilizing and spreading.

Garrett’s mother, Ann Gullatte Dixon, was raised on the family farm. It’s a legacy she’s proud of, though her perspective has changed in the last decade, she said.

“I don’t know if I ever worried when my dad planted a crop. Now, when I see a row of cotton standing up, I think, ‘Oh, good!’” Ann said with a grin. “Even though the uncertainties of farming make me nervous, I am confident Garrett’s passion and knowledge will help him continue to be successful.”

Involvement in the Alabama Farmers Federation has been integral to that success.

Garrett is a former State Young Farmers Committee chair, graduate of Agricultural Leaders For Alabama and current local board member. He and Robin are also leaders in Lee County Young Farmers.

The last decade hasn’t been easy, Garrett said. He’s battled drought, hurricanes, a devastating tornado and depressed commodity markets.

Despite hardships, he’s found strength in his faith, reinforced by Robin’s prayerful spirit and willing ear.

“There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with growing a crop,” Garrett said. “I do think that creation points us to our creator. Special moments remind me how blessed I am to be able to tend the land, work the land and grow crops that feed and clothe America.” 

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The Lovelady Family, Talladega County

As Whit and Amanda Lovelady look over peaceful pastures in the shadow of Pope Mountain, it’s hard to believe the livestock-laden land was covered in briars, privet and pines a decade ago.

Soon, they’ll build their forever home on that land — another checked box in a long list of dreams-turned-reality for the Talladega County farmers.

“We both knew we wanted to have a family farm,” said Amanda, 30. “We wanted to raise our children on the farm. We wanted to work on the farm together. Now, here we are. We are living out that dream, and it’s so rewarding.”

This year, the Loveladys will bale 10,000 rolls of hay while managing Angus, Charolais and commercial cattle herds at Cedar Roost Ranch. They’ll accomplish that and more with two tiny farmhands in tow.

“I love to see Annagrace (4) and John Luke (2) just running around on the farm. They are country bumpkins,” Amanda said with a smile. “They might be rolling around in the pig feed or in the water trough or in the dirt, but I would not trade that for the world. I know they are making those memories I still hold on to from when I was little.”

Similar childhood experiences laid the foundation for Whit and Amanda’s appreciation of agriculture. Whit inherited a love of cattle farming from his grandfather, the late Windle Batchelor. Meanwhile, Amanda spent precious days in the cotton field with her father, the late O.E. Williams Jr., in Autauga County.

“What I live and breathe for is those young’un’s to have a better start,” said Whit, 33. “If they want a farm, they have an opportunity to come back. Our vision is to have a place that is for these kids and future generations.”

The Loveladys’ farm has grown gradually from humble beginnings. After graduating from Auburn University in 2013, Whit spent countless hours reclaiming overgrown land while juggling an off-farm job.

When he and Amanda married two years later, they’d already achieved one goal: To have 30 cows by their July wedding. Starting that fall, they taught agriscience at local high schools, pouring extra income into the farm.

“We tried to build enough collateral that we could start operating on a bigger scale,” Whit said. “Everything we have, we had to buy.”

In 2018, their reputation for hard work gave the Loveladys the chance to add a local Charolais herd to their operation, a jump in responsibility that meant Whit could farm full time. Amanda followed in 2020.

The Loveladys believe in diversification. In addition to managing their own grazing and hay land, they custom bale and fertilize fields for neighbors. They also sell freezer beef and pork and are investing in equipment like a forestry mulcher and Flex Rake to expand production and improve efficiency.

“If you buy a place, every single acre needs to be productive,” Whit said. “If it’s not good enough for hay ground, we’re going to put cattle on it. If it’s too steep or rocky for pasture, then we’ll leave it in timber.”

The Loveladys share their passion for agriculture through Facebook, YouTube and involvement with farm organizations. They’ve honed advocacy efforts through local Young Farmers and Women’s Leadership committees, in addition to Whit’s role on the local board. Whit is also the Talladega County Cattlemen’s Association president.

The Loveladys complement each other, too. Whit is a visionary, unafraid to see potential in unlikely places. That entrepreneurial spirit is tempered by Amanda’s patient, thoughtful personality.

“One of the things I love about Amanda is her focus,” Whit said. “She reels me in, and her focus is always putting God first.”

Their teamwork is an answered prayer, said Pamela Batchelor Lovelady, Whit’s mom. Her family’s homeplace is the base of operations for Cedar Roost Ranch.

“As a mom, you want your children to grow up, be healthy and strong, find what they truly love and hopefully find someone who loves the same things,” she said. “Well, Whit did.”

The Loveladys credit their farm to the Lord, counting each success and struggle as joy.

“Sometimes, we can get overwhelmed because it’s a lot of pressure,” Amanda said. “But it’s also really cool to take a step back and reflect on how far we’ve come. God has allowed us to be where we are, and that means so much to us.”