As the 2006 Outstanding Young Farm Family, the Sandersons will participate in many activities promoting Alabama agriculture during the coming year. They will receive for six months the use of a John Deere tractor sponsored by John Deere and Company, a new John Deere Trail Gator sponsored by Federal Land Bank, the use of a 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer for a year, courtesy of county Farmers Federations of Alabama, an IBM computer package from ValCom Business Centers of Alabama and $500 cash from Dodge.

As the Alabama Outstanding Young Farm Family for 2006, the Sandersons will go on to compete for the American Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award in 2007.

Stuart said his farm’s diversified crops, the use of technology and calculated marketing decisions allow him to minimize risks associated with farming. Still, he keeps close watch on the weather and the commodity market by using whatever means necessary, whether it’s calling up fellow farmers on his cell phone or keeping check on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Stuart’s admiration for technology also extends to Deborah, an engineer with a missile defense and aerospace supplier. She said she sees her role as relating more to home life than farm life, including taking care of their son, Spencer, whose first word at age nine months was "tractor."

Together, the farmer and engineer have also become partners in the effort to bring Alabama’s first ethanol manufacturing plant to the Tennessee Valley.

Young Farmers Director Brandon Moore said the awards program seeks to honor families like the Sandersons not just for what they are doing, but for the inspiration they provide to other farmers around the state.