Youth Educational Opportunities at Expo
This year’s Youth Educational Challenges allow 6th - 12th grade students the opportunity to put their skills to the test. With six competitive categories, students can participate in junior and senior level floral design, and identification contests for agricultural mechanics, horticulture,...
“Yield Behind The Wheel” at Sunbelt Ag Expo
“Yield Behind the Wheel” is a campaign that promotes awareness of farm vehicle accidents on the road. The goal of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia Farm Bureau supported campaign is a fatality and injury free road. Dignitaries discussed the importance of the endless efforts to keep...
Virginia Farmer Michael H. McDowell Named 2019 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year
Media Resources: PDF Word Photo [Moultrie, GA]—Michael H. McDowell of Vernon Hill, Virginia has been selected as the overall winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award for 2019. He is a fourth generation Halifax County farmer and cattleman who grows mixed...
Cooking things up with the First Lady in the Family Living Building
This morning Georgia’s First Lady, Marty Kemp and GA Grown Chef, Holly Chute cooked up a delicious and nutritious breakfast burrito. All the ingredients used for the cooking demos are Georgia grown products. The First Lady also added that while living in the Governor’s Mansion, everything that is...
Swisher Sweets Sunbelt Expo 2019 Farmer of the Year
Being named the Swisher Sweets Farmer of the Year is a prestigious honor that yet another set of 10 dedicated agriculturalists were nominated for this year. These 10 farmers were nominated to represent their states, and what an amazing job they have done. After all was said and done, Michael...
Yon Family Farms wins big at the Southeastern Hay Competition in the R.W Griffin Building
Everyone loves a little friendly competition, but the Southeastern Hay Competition is much more than winning a big check. Marcel Wallau from IFAS Extension says, “It’s not all about winning, it’s a great learning technique that promotes and urges farmers to continue participating each year with...
Familiar Faces at the 42nd Annual Sunbelt Ag Expo
The 42nd Annual Sunbelt Ag Expo kicked off in full swing this morning with an opening ceremony in the R.W. Griffin building. Attendees gathered to hear remarks from leaders in the agricultural industry. Chip Blalock, Executive Director, welcomed the crowd and recognized past and present Swisher...
See You Tomorrow at the Expo!
The 2019 Sunbelt Ag Expo officially kicks off tomorrow morning at Spence Field. Exhibitors from all over the country are excited to showcase their products and services. In addition, visitors have the opportunity to attend educational seminars ranging from beef cattle production to pond...
Booger Brown to host Horsemanship Clinics at Sunbelt Ag Expo
The Sunbelt Ag Expo is thrilled to have a fan favorite from the TV show series, “The Cowboy Way,” which airs on INSP network. Booger Brown is a family guy who loves to share his passion for the equine and cattle industries. Priefert Rodeo & Ranch Equipment Company is hosting him to help...
Kubota launches new M8 Series at Sunbelt Ag Expo
Kubota is back and better than ever for the 42nd annual Sunbelt Ag Expo. With several new additions to their line, Kubota offers something for all. From small ATVs to large tractors, Kubota is the place to visit for variety and dependability. Featuring a Cummins engine, the all-new M8 Series is...
Flint River Fresh Represents Sustainable Agriculture
Flint River Fresh is the new face representing sustainable agriculture at the Sunbelt Ag Expo this year. Farmer Fredo is excited to teach people how to grow their own food using abandoned lots and open spaces. His goal is to increase food accessibility and minimize hunger. Come out to the...
MICHAEL H. McDOWELL NAMED 2019 VIRGINIA FARMER OF THE YEAR
Nestled in the rolling hills and timberland of the southern Piedmont area of Virginia, Locust Level Farm is in a part of the state where, historically, fields of two to fifteen acres produced tobacco, supplemented by row crops. Michael McDowell is the fourth generation to practice stewardship on...
JERRY RAY NAMED 2019 TENNESSEE FARMER OF THE YEAR
In his forty-five-year career as a diversified farmer, Jerry Ray has never worked for anyone but himself. This means that when things go well—in the ordinary course of fat years and lean—he earns the rewards. And when they don’t, he accepts the full weight of responsibility. It’s an old-fashioned...
SIDI LIMEHOUSE NAMED 2019 SOUTH CAROLINA FARMER OF THE YEAR
Sidi Limehouse (pronounced “sigh dye”) is a man with deep Lowcountry roots. His early mercantile ancestors settled in Charleston in the 1700s and spread out from there. When he came into the world on Johns Island in December of 1938, his father celebrated by purchasing Mullet Hall Plantation on...
JOHNNY WISHON NAMED 2019 NORTH CAROLINA FARMER OF THE YEAR
Johnny Wishon didn’t grow up on a farm, but his father, a game warden, did. Wishon remembers, “We had a little over five acres of land, and my dad always had the biggest garden in the county. He would let me grow extra vegetables to sell to the local grocery store.” In high school he became...
TED PARKER NAMED 2019 MISSISSIPPI FARMER OF THE YEAR
Forty years ago Ted Parker borrowed $5,000 to rent forty acres in Oloh, Mississippi. He now spends his days operating six farms in six different locations in six counties in the piney country of south Mississippi. He recalls, “In those early times I continued to borrow money to purchase more...
DANNY CUNNINGHAM NAMED 2019 KENTUCKY FARMER OF THE YEAR
Danny Cunningham grew up on a sixty-acre dairy farm in Calloway County, Kentucky. At thirteen he learned to drive an old pickup truck to school on back roads because his dad figured that by letting him drive, he could get home at least an hour earlier than if he took the bus. And that hour could...
ROBERT L. DICKEY, III NAMED 2019 GEORGIA FARMER OF THE YEAR
Since 1897, Dickey Farms has been producing high quality peaches. Today, Robert Lee Dickey II (“Mr. Bob”), Robert Lee Dickey III (“Robert”), and Robert L. Dickey IV (“Lee”) combine their skills to carry on the farming legacy of growing the tastiest peaches in the south. Calling on deep family...
CHARLES W. OBERN NAMED 2019 FLORIDA FARMER OF THE YEAR
To be successful in farming requires a good deal of stamina, flexibility, and determination, along with a love of the art of growing things. Charles “Chuck” Obern, owner of C&B Farms, Inc., embodies all these qualities, in addition to curiosity—an instinctive awareness that research can...
CHRIS ISBELL NAMED 2019 ARKANSAS FARMER OF THE YEAR
Curiosity, innovation, and sustainability are the hallmarks underlying the success of Isbell Farms, a six-generation family enterprise with 3000 acres of rice production in Humnoke, Arkansas. Chris Isbell, Judy Isbell, Mark Isbell, Shane Isbell, and Jeremy Jones form the company’s partnership that...
HANK RICHARDSON NAMED 2019 ALABAMA FARMER OF THE YEAR
Facing challenges, dealing with disasters, and toughing out hard times are not things Hank Richardson enjoys, but he is good at them. Born on a modest farm in Centre, Alabama, Richardson and his two older brothers, Harlan and Jerry, always worked together seamlessly. But they needed to branch out...
DAVID WILDY NAMED 2019 JUDGE FOR FARMER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year News Release For Immediate Release DAVID WILDY NAMED 2019 JUDGE FOR FARMER OF THE YEAR AWARDS Arkansas row crop farmer David Wildy has been selected as the newest judge for the 2019 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the...
41st Annual Sunbelt Ag Expo – A Success in the Wake of Hurricane Michael
THIS YEAR’S EXPO FEATURED AG TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, AND EDUCATION The Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition celebrated its 41st Anniversary show October 16-18, 2018. Over 1,200 exhibitors displayed and demonstrated products and welcomed thousands of visitors to the 100-acre show site and the 600-acre...
Expo research and demo touches ag across the nation
Excerpt from Ron Smith at Southeast FarmPress As the 41st annual Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition wound down, Chip Blalock, executive director, sat behind his desk in the Sunbelt office in Moultrie, Ga., and reminisced. It was an eventful week for the “North America's Premier Farm Show,” which just...
Vice President Mike Pence Speaks at Sunbelt Ag Expo
Vice President Mike Pence attended the Farmer of the Year banquet on opening day of the 2018 Sunbelt Ag Expo. Below are a collection of press releases and other media surrounding the event. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-vice-president-pence-sunbelt-ag-expo/...
South Carolina Farmer Kevin Yon Named 2018 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year
Download Press Release as PDF. Download Press Release as Word Doc. Previously on our site: KEVIN YON NAMED 2018 SOUTH CAROLINA FARMER OF THE YEAR https://vimeo.com/315746184 (Moultrie, Ga.)—Kevin Yon, a highly successful purebred Angus beef cattle producer and a leader in beef cattle and Angus...
Horse Master Julie Goodnight to offer seminars at Sunbelt Expo
Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Equine is partnering with the Expo to bring top horsemanship clinician Julie Goodnight for the entire three-day show. Julie Goodnight established a connection with horses at a young age. After a successful run as a youth rider on jumping horses, she...
ATTEND THIS YEAR’S EXPO FOR AG TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, AND EDUCATION
The Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition will celebrate its 41st Anniversary show October 16-18, 2018. Over 1,200 exhibitors will display and demonstrate products and welcome thousands of visitors to the 100 acre show site. Crowned as North America’s Premier Farm Show® and the largest Farm Show in...
HOWARD BROWN NAMED 2018 NORTH CAROLINA FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315745149 If you have ever enjoyed eating rainbow trout in upscale restaurants in the eastern U.S., you might thank Howard Brown of Andrews, N.C. He and his business, C.R. Brown Enterprises, have played a large part in developing the trout farming industry in western North...
LONNIE FORTNER NAMED 2018 MISSISSIPPI FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315739504 Lonnie Fortner of Port Gibson, Miss., left his career as a county executive director with the USDA Farm Service Agency to become a farmer. He started as a farm manager and later was made a partner in Rock Lake Planting Company. He recently branched out on his own as...
DARREN LUTTRELL NAMED 2018 KENTUCKY FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315738343 An occasional local talk radio personality, Darren Luttrell is also a third-generation farmer, a successful poultry producer and a high yielding corn and soybean grower. He lives in Beaver Dam, Ky., and farms in Ohio County near the Olaton community. Luttrell’s farm...
JAMES VAUGHN NAMED 2018 GEORGIA FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315737253 An attorney who practices law from offices on his farm, James Vaughn of Forsyth, Ga., is especially proud of taking a 650-acre pine tree plantation and converting it over a ten-year period into productive pastures where he raises forages for his beef cattle. As a result...
LYNETTA USHER GRINER NAMED 2018 FLORIDA FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315736202 Lynetta Usher Griner’s life and career plans changed dramatically during 1989. That year, her brother Tommy Usher died in a boating accident on the Suwannee River. A seventh generation Floridian, Lynetta lives in Levy County, Fla., where she had been practicing law....
LUKE ALSTON NAMED 2018 ARKANSAS FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315735130 Luke Alston of Mena, Ark., gave up a stable career as a Farm Bureau insurance claims adjuster to pursue his dream of farming. He returned to his family’s farm where his great-great grandfather homesteaded in 1897. At his Holly Springs Homestead farm, he built eight...
JOHN DELOACH NAMED 2018 ALABAMA FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315734157 John DeLoach of Vincent, Ala., is successfully raising row crops on a farm that has been in his family since 1820. He grows corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and hay on his 1,325-acre farm. He owns 710 acres and rents 615 acres. DeLoach’s yields have been good. His per acre...
PAUL ROGERS, JR. NAMED 2018 VIRGINIA FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315748364 Paul Rogers, Jr., of Wakefield, Va., has had a long and successful farming career, and an equally extensive and rewarding avocation as a youth league and high school baseball coach. As a result of his success as a crop farmer, Rogers has been selected as state winner of...
JOHN VERELL NAMED 2018 TENNESSEE FARMER OF THE YEAR
https://vimeo.com/315747261 A fulltime farmer for 16 years, John Verell of Jackson, Tenn., takes a scientific approach to producing high yields on his successful 5,050-acre crop farm. He grows corn, soybeans and wheat on 3,000 rented acres and 2,050 acres of owned land. As a result of his success...
KEVIN YON NAMED 2018 SOUTH CAROLINA FARMER OF THE YEAR
A son and grandson of sharecroppers, first generation Angus breeder Kevin Yon and his family from Ridge Spring, S.C., have established Yon Family Farms as one of the best Angus seedstock herds in the nation. Yon is a leader in the beef industry and in Angus organizations. As a result of his...
Sunbelt Ag Expo hires Becca Turner as new Vice President of Marketing, Gina McDonald Announces Retirement
Moultrie, GA: The Expo is proud to announce Becca Turner has been named Vice-President of Marketing for “North America’s Premier Farm Show”. “Becca brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and we look forward to having her join our outstanding staff,” said Chip Blalock, Sunbelt Executive...
Virginia Farmer Robert Mills, Jr. Named 2017 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year
Robert Mills, Jr., a first generation farmer who grows tobacco and raises beef cattle and pullet breeder chickens near Callands, Va., has been selected as the overall winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award for 2017.