By Tanner Hood

Young Farmers from across the state planted their boots in the sand Feb. 27 through March 1 during the Young Farmers Conference in Gulf Shores. 

From mighty sandcastles to calving demonstrations, the annual event offered ample opportunities for the nearly 450 farmers in attendance. It was also a time to build each other up, Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell told the group during the opening dinner.

“I want to encourage you. This is a time to learn, a time to figure out how to make it,” said Parnell, the 1997 State Young Farmers Committee chair and a Chilton County farmer. “Hang in there, enjoy the good times, and work through the hard times.”

The conference kicked off with a school colors welcome reception hosted by the Auburn Alumni Association. Greeting friends new and old was a conference priority, said State Young Farmers Committee Chair Forrest Anders. 

“I’m most excited about our organization’s growth,” said Anders, a Morgan County row crop producer. “We hear how hard it is on farmers across the nation, and the age of farmers is steadily going up. At the same time, we’ve got 450 Young Farmers here. Our goal is to make it interesting and try to get people to see the value in being part of the Young Farmers organization.” 

Keynote speaker and former Georgia Ag Commissioner Gary Black highlighted the importance of involvement. 

“It is no accident you are here,” Black told the crowd from the stage. “The way was paved for you. You get to do this. The call for all of us to step to the plate for American agriculture is now. It is time for our spine to be as strong as ever before with my arm against yours holding each other up.” 

Day 2 began early with a panel of young leaders sharing their experiences with the organization, followed by educational breakout sessions. 

The sessions consisted of legacy building and succession planning with Cheryl Mitchell; a technology overview from State Young Farmers Committee member Trey Colley with GreenPoint Ag; best calving practices with Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Dr. Jessica Rush; market breakdowns with Glen Arnold; farm equipment highway safety with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Captain Jeremy Burkett; and a hands-on emergency response workshop with EMS professionals and the Coastal Alabama Community College Simulation Lab.

Even budding Young Farmers got in on the fun at Sandcastle University. Children gathered at the Gulf’s edge to learn all-important sandcastle-building skills, a family favorite session. 

The pinnacle moment of the conference included announcing Outstanding Young Farm Family (OYFF) contest division winners. OYFF competitors are farmers ages 18 to 35 years old who earn most of their income from production agriculture and are judged based on farm growth, Federation involvement and community service. 

Judges selected Cade and Shelby Easterling of Barbour County, Garrett and Robin Dixon of Lee County, and Jacob and Misty Porter of Clay County as Top 3 finalists, with each family receiving a Turtlebox speaker courtesy of Alfa Insurance and Alfa Farmers Member Perks. They will compete for more than $80,000 in prizes this summer during on-farm judging, with the winner announced at the Federation’s Farm & Land Conference in Mobile Aug. 8. 

Commodity division winners were also chosen. They are Mitchell and Rebecca Henry of Lawrence County, beef; Heath Clary of Hale County, catfish; Tommy and Lauren Murray of Franklin County, fruit & vegetable; Christopher and Hannah Langley of Chambers County, forestry; Will and Camille Bullen of Clay County, hay & forage; the Dixons, peanut; the Porters, poultry; and the Easterlings, sheep & goat.

Those families will serve ex-officio terms on state commodity committees. They also received $500 from the Federation.

To cap off the event, the yearly live auction benefiting the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation raised more than $40,000 to support youth education across the state.