Stuart Sanderson has a lot of faith. He uses it in all the decisions he makes, including those in his church and on his 3,500-acre farm in south Limestone County.Through faith, he’s been blessed in many ways, Stuart said, not the least of which has been the ability to continue a family farm that was started by his grandfather.Stuart, 29, lives near Madison where he farms in partnership with his uncle, Mike Henderson, his cousin, Chad Henderson, and his grandfather, G.W. Henderson. They grow a variety of crops–all successfully–but this year, Stuart was honored for his soybean crop, which led him to be selected as the Outstanding Young Farmer in the soybean division.”We don’t have any conventional soybeans,” Stuart said as he drove down a tree-covered dirt road to check on one of his fields. “All of our beans are planted with minimum tillage. About 40 percent are planted straight no-till behind wheat. The others are planted minimum till with no more than two trips in pre-plant.”Stuart and his partners rotate corn, soybeans and wheat crops to get the most from the river bottom soil they farm. This year, they planted a Group 4 bean, which is an early-maturing variety, on about 125 acres. He said in the past few years, the Group 4 beans have yielded about 20 more bushels per acre than other varieties.”I think the Group 4 beans do well because of the early spring rains, but one draw back is that they won’t wait on you,” he said. “You have to harvest them when they’re ready or you could miss your crop.”Those early beans will be harvested shortly after the corn crop is in. He also planted another 900 acres of soybeans, 300 of which were planted behind no-till wheat.Dry weather has hurt Stuart’s soybean yields in the past few years, dropping the average to 28-35 bushels per acre. But in a good year, the rich soil can produce yields as high as 50 bushels per acre.Cotton is the farm’s primary crop with about 2,000 acres planted annually. Stuart refers to it as “the cash crop” of the operation. About 75 percent of the cotton is planted using no-till methods, and just over one-third of the crop is planted in ultra-narrow rows.”We’re always looking for ways to improve,” Stuart said. “That’s the only way we can stay in business. Our input costs are continuing to rise, not to mention all the regulations and so forth we have. But the price we receive for our crop hasn’t kept up accordingly.”Twenty-five years ago a John Deere cotton picker cost $15-$20,000, and cotton was bringing 65-cents per pound. Now, that cotton picker would cost you $350,000, and cotton is bringing 46 cents. If you don’t improve your productivity, you won’t be in business too long.”Stuart said the biggest challenges he faces as a farmer are the commodity prices, but there are other pressures, and like prices, he has little control over them.Development in the rural areas of Limestone County is driving land prices up and the amount of valuable farm acreage down. Stuart said he doesn’t intend to sell out, but he can understand why it would be tempting.”It’s hard for a farmer to turn down an offer of five times what he can make from his land farming,” Stuart said, referring to encroaching subdivisions. “The only problem is, there won’t be any good farm land left once the houses go up.”Stuart graduated from the University of Alabama in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration. He helps manage the day-to-day operation of the farm and is responsible for 50 percent of the planting and harvesting. Farm records are computerized for easy tracking and assessments.Stuart was the OYFF wheat and feed grains division winner in 2000. And, if the farm wasn’t enough to keep him busy, he also serves as vice chairman of the Limestone County Young Farmers where his partner, Chad, serves as chairman. Stuart also is an active member of Lindsey Lane Baptist Church in Athens where he teaches Sunday school and plays on the church softball team.But one of the newest additions to the farm will take place this month when Stuart and his fiancé, Deborah Jordan, tie the knot. “Deborah has no ag background, but she is very interested in farming,” Stuart said. “That probably has to do with being an engineer. She wants to know everything–how something works and why.”Stuart said his involvement with the Young Farmers Division has provided him a lot of opportunities, not just educational ones, but also the chance to meet other young farmers from around the state. “It’s a good way to get ideas about things,” Stuart said of the Young Farmers meetings. “We swap ideas and try some of them in our operation to see if they fit.”