By Marlee Jackson

Three hard-working families are in the running to earn the Alabama Farmers Federation’s top title for young farmers.

Finalists in the Outstanding Young Farm Family (OYFF) contest are Drew and Lauren Wendland, Autauga County; Jacob and Misty Porter, Clay County; and Garrett and Robin Dixon, Lee County.

“It’s a privilege to know these families and recognize their drive and commitment to serving others,” said Federation Young Farmers Division Director Hunter McBrayer. “Drew, Jacob and Garrett are strong men of faith who are leading their families with integrity. Likewise, Lauren, Misty and Robin are helpmates for their husbands and compassionate mothers who are raising the next generation of farmers.”

He added, “I’m convinced these aren’t just the best farm families in our state. They are the best this country has to offer.”

OYFF competitors are between the ages of 18 and 35 and earn more than half their income from production agriculture. Contestant scores are based on farm growth, Federation involvement and civic service.

The Wendlands, Porters and Dixons were chosen following an application and interview during Young Farmers Conference in February. The OYFF will be named Aug. 16 during the Federation’s Farm & Land Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The OYFF prize package is worth more than $80,000. It includes $40,000 toward a Ford vehicle courtesy of Alfa Insurance and the Federation; a John Deere Gator from Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farm Credit; and a lease on a John Deere tractor from John Deere, SunSouth and TriGreen.

The first runner-up family will receive a 250-hour lease on a Kubota tractor from Kubota. Corteva Agriscience will provide a custom chemical package for the second runner-up family. All finalists received custom cedar chairs from The Best Adirondack Chair Co.

While a substantial prize package and bragging rights are on the table, McBrayer said the OYFF contest is about more than accolades.

It’s a training ground for leaders.

“If you look back at the men and women who have competed in this contest, you see active leaders in their communities, in agriculture and in this state,” McBrayer said. “We are proud to invest in these families’ growth and look forward to seeing how they impact Alabama for years to come.”

The OYFF will represent Alabama during national competition at the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in Anaheim, California, in January. 

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The Wendland Family, Autauga County

On Drew Wendland’s first date with his now-wife, the Auburn University sophomore was fun…but reserved.

Then, Lauren asked about Drew’s family and their farm in Autaugaville.

“I could just see his eyes lighting up telling me about ‘home,’” remembered Lauren.

She soon visited Autauga Farming Co., where cotton burst from bolls, cows nuzzled calves and Drew’s tight-knit family welcomed her into the fold. Just over a decade later, Drew and Lauren are making their mark on the farm while raising its sixth generation — Mills, 5, Smith, 4, and Rhett, 1.

As the farm’s crop production manager, Drew honors his agricultural heritage while improving each element that impacts agronomy. His father, Andy, and his youngest brother, Dan, have other duties, divvied by strengths and experience.

“My job is to never let the plants have a bad day,” said Drew, 31. “Every minute a plant stresses, yield or potential goes away, and it doesn’t come back.”

Drew’s shrewd decision-making maximizes efficiency, profitability and stewardship. Since returning to the farm in 2016, he’s created detailed budgets for cotton, corn, oats, sesame, soybeans and wheat, plus pasture and hayfields. Post-harvest data analysis gauges success.

A critical component of Drew’s production playbook is just that — an annually revised manual that documents techniques, anticipates issues and offers solutions by crop.

That’s been important as the farm’s workforce transitioned from seasoned employees to seasonal workforce with H-2A guest workers. As the de facto HR manager, Drew crafted standard operating procedures to ensure the team is informed and effective.

Meanwhile, Lauren brings balance to workers’ 10-month stints in the U.S.

“Now that I’m a mama, I think about what would happen if I sent my boys overseas to work on someone’s farm,” said Lauren, 31. “It takes a lot for these guys to come over here, and they deserve to be cared for and treated with respect.”

Compassion helps Lauren minister to others — whether taxiing her farm kid trio to the field, serving at Church Street Methodist Church in Selma or advising patients as a nurse practitioner. She’s a steadfast helpmate for Drew, too.

“Drew is very patient, and you can hardly farm without patience because there are a lot of things out of our control,” Lauren said. “He takes what God gives and rolls with it. Drew may have a hard day on the farm, but when he’s home, those little boys have no idea because he is in ‘daddy mode,’ and the patience continues.”

Drew is also tenacious. The second of five children, Drew developed a competitive spirit early, said his older sister, Katie Wendland Nichols.

“Drew sees something that he wants to do and goes after it with every fiber of his being,” Katie said. “That’s carried over into the way he is as a farmer and as a dad. He dreams big all the time and takes necessary steps to get to the end goal.”

Drew and Lauren’s oldest son exhibits that determination. Though just 5, Mills has already painstakingly planned for and added a small blueberry enterprise to the farm.

They’re supporting Mills’ entrepreneurship — an approach modeled by Drew’s grandfather, the late Milton “Buzz” Wendland.

“If you have something you’re good at and think you can contribute it, my family has always encouraged us to do that,” Drew said. “Dan has done that with the cow herd. They let me do that with bringing technology into row cropping. Mills is just starting earlier.”

Ties to the farm community tighten the thread of agriculture woven through the Wendlands’ life. They serve within the Autauga County Farmers Federation and its Young Farmers program, plus national organizations and state entities, like the State Hay & Forage Committee. Drew is a graduate of the elite A.L.F.A. Leaders program Class V.

A man of faith, Drew finds inspiration in wisdom handed down from his great-grandfather, Will Howard Smith.

“He said of his father, McQueen Smith, that everything he did was marked with firmness, self-discipline, self-restraint, a high regard for right and wrong, and ambition to succeed in all undertakings,” Drew said. “For 31 years, I’ve been able to see my dad and my granddad exemplify those characteristics. I just hope and pray those are the same characteristics I leave in people’s mind when they remember me.” 

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The Porter Family, Clay County

With rolling pastures, red poultry houses and black cattle nestled in foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Porter Farms is peaceful, productive and practically picture perfect.

It’s also testament to the power of childhood dreams.

“When I was a little boy, every time we would go to Walmart, I wanted to get a toy tractor and add it to my ‘farm,’” said Jacob Porter, 31. “I saw myself farming (as a career); I just didn’t know how it was going to happen.”

Jacob’s father and paternal grandfather raised hogs until the early 2000s, while his maternal grandparents were cattle farmers. Despite that strong foundation, market shifts and family members’ declining health curtailed hopes of continuing an active operation.

A farming future meant starting from near scratch.

Jacob began Porter Farms as a teen with a couple head of cattle — a herd that expanded while he earned a degree in electrical technology.

Today, the farm near Lineville in Clay County annually produces more than 3 million pounds of poultry and includes cattle, haylage and hogs.

It’s a fulfilling lifestyle, said Jacob’s wife, Misty.

“I love everything about it — being outside, being goal oriented,” said Misty, 32. “Whatever we’re doing, even if we’re just checking fences, we’re together.”

Despite growing up in rural Clay County, Misty was introduced to farm life when she and Jacob began dating in high school. She’s since learned to drive a tractor and care for livestock — skills their sons Olen, 6, and Asher, 1, are learning from the onset.

Misty shares farm lessons with her kindergarten flock at Ashland Elementary School, too.

“I want my students at school to experience what my kids at home get to experience,” Misty said.

Last year, an Ag in the Classroom grant helped her purchase an incubator and brood house. The mini farm is paying dividends, she said, noting the joy pint-sized pupils found studying the chicken life cycle.

Misty’s calm demeanor and can-do attitude bless her students and family, Jacob said.

“I tell her all the time God won’t let anything happen to her because He knows I can’t do it by myself,” Jacob said. “She’s the best mom there is. She keeps us in line, keeps everything flowing and keeps the boys where they need to be.”

On the farm, the Porters’ priorities include decreasing debt while increasing financial stability. They’ve looked inward for solutions, too.

A low feed conversion rate helps them remain competitive in the local poultry complex. Cattle weaning weights have grown because of bull selection, high-quality feed and carcass data review. Poultry litter is recycled as natural fertilizer, and equipment investments turn a profit thanks to custom haylage work.

Misty credits her husband’s dedication and drive to the decade’s worth of improvements.

“Jacob is hardworking, determined, goal-oriented and goes after what he wants,” Misty said. “He’s also selfless. If someone calls for help, he’s the first one there.”

In addition to serving his faith family at Barfield Baptist Church, Jacob is the local fire department assistant chief and a board member of Clay County’s Emergency Communications District, which manages 9-1-1 services. He serves on the State Young Farmers Committee and State Poultry Committee, and he and Misty are leaders in Clay County Young Farmers.

While many peers see Jacob’s quiet countenance, underneath lies a deep love for family — and larger-than-life personality, said his older sister, Anna Porter Morrison.

“He is not reserved, believe it or not,” Anna said with a laugh. “With his people, he’s very outgoing. He’s honestly the class clown for our family.”

The brother-sister duo partner in raising hogs, a venture born of supply chain issues and a return to their farming roots. Anna and other family members often pitch in during busy seasons — a gift of time Jacob holds dear.

As Jacob watches his sons play with decades-old toy tractors in the shadow of a barn, he’s humbled by God’s providence.

“As you grow older, you see things happen…and you realize there’s only one way they happened, and that’s God,” Jacob said. “The Lord blessed me in ways that I’m undeserving of. I thank Him every day for it.” 

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The Dixon Family, Lee County

As dawn breaks on their Lee County farm, a special peace falls over Garrett and Robin Dixon.

They’ll soon divide and conquer the day, with Garrett managing their cotton and peanut farm and Robin beelining to her agriscience classroom at Smiths Station High School.

But first, they give thanks for the blessing of raising their family in the quiet country community of Salem.

“Seeing sunrises and sunsets, the coolness of air after a summer shower, crisp fall mornings in a cotton field and hearing the quail call — those are experiences you only get growing up on a farm,” said Garrett, 34. 

The Dixon children reap rewards of their parents’ vocations. Chandler Jane, 3, often asks Garrett a flurry of questions from the tractor’s buddy seat while 1-year-old Cash waits his turn.

“I love teaching them why we do things and the importance of what we do,” Garrett said. “My hope is if one or both want to come back to farm, they have an easier starting point than I had.”

Garrett’s childhood was flush with rides in the cotton picker next to his grandfather, Bob Ed Gullatte. By the early 2000s, however, family land no longer produced row crops.

Determined to incorporate agriculture into his life, Garrett purchased cattle in 2008. Six years later, he graduated from Auburn University and tried his hand at growing soybeans. The crop performed poorly, but lessons gleaned were priceless, Garrett said.

By 2016, Garrett had leaned into farming full time and focused on a crop his family had grown for more than a century — cotton.

Garrett gradually picked up additional ground and grew his agronomic skills. In the decade since, he’s juggled daily duties while preparing for big-picture projects he’s since implemented, like building a shop and installing irrigation. While abundant rain this year means pivots haven’t rolled across fields, the irrigation is critical infrastructure to Garrett’s otherwise-dryland farm.

He’s also invested in technology, implemented cover cropping and moved toward a sustainable cotton and peanut rotation. He’s taken on custom work for nearby farmers, too. Those relationships, and Garrett’s strong network of farmer friends, have helped expand his farm footprint.

Robin often ferries their children to the field, runs farm errands and helps Garrett parse through big business decisions. That’s in addition to teaching animal sciences and floriculture, plus advising an FFA chapter.

“Robin may be the greatest asset we have on the farm — even more than irrigation,” Garrett quipped with a grin.

Naturally reserved, Robin credits a high school agriscience teacher with drawing her out of her shell.

“Because she inspired me so much, I wanted to be that for someone else,” said Robin, 33, who grew up in rural Florida and met Garrett while studying animal sciences at Auburn University. “I didn’t have a whole lot of knowledge of agriculture, so she taught me that, too. I want to help students come out of their comfort zones and do something they never imagined they could do.”

The Dixons’ farm journey hasn’t been without adversity. As drought, depressed markets and damaging storms hit the farm in the last decade, they’ve persevered and sought wisdom from their Creator.

“You just act on faith,” Garrett said. “Like the widow and the oil in the Old Testament, you keep emptying that cup and know that the Lord will provide.”

Memorabilia in the Dixon Farms office chronicle the Lord’s faithfulness to his family, plus their farm heritage. Garrett’s ancestors settled in Salem more than 150 years ago.

Scattered among photos are plaques paying homage to service and leadership. Garrett and Robin are involved in county Young Farmers, at First Baptist Church of Opelika and on the Alabama Peanut Producers Association board. Garrett serves on the Lee County Farmers Federation board and State Cotton Committee. He was State Young Farmers Committee chair in 2019 and graduated from the elite A.L.F.A. Leaders program Class V.

Garrett’s younger sister, Mary Kendall Dixon, has an office just across the hall in the renovated wooden farmhouse. She said her brother’s charisma, kindness and even-keeled nature give him a knack for serving others.

“He has this ability to see potential in you that you don’t see in yourself, and he’s able to pull that out,” Mary Kendall said. “I’m proud that Garrett is doing what God has called him to do and that has turned out to be on the farm.”