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Alabama’s
top farmers can win cash and prizes worth more than $10,000 in the 2006
Alabama Farm of Distinction competition, a Farm-City program which seeks
to identify the best farms in the state.
Deep
South Tractor of Samsom and Andalusia this year joins Wire Road Tractor
in Auburn, Lawn & Leisure in Montgomery and Henry Farm Center with
stores in Abbeville, Brundidge and Dothan in donating a new John Deere
Gator CX valued at $5,200 to the 2006 Alabama Farm of Distinction.
In
addition, Alabama Farmers Cooperative (AFC) will present a $1,000 gift
certificate to the Alabama Farm of Distinction winner redeemable at any
of its member Quality Co-op stores. AFC also will present each of the
other five state finalists with a $250 gift certificate.
The
Alabama Farmers Federation and Alfa Health will award the state winner
an engraved, mahogany farm sign valued at more than $1,300. The Alabama
winner also will receive a $2,500 cash award and an expense-paid trip to
the Sunbelt Ag Expo from Swisher International of Jacksonville, Fla.
The
state winner will represent Alabama at the Sunbelt Expo, Oct. 17-19, in
the Southeastern Farmer of the Year competition in Moultrie, Ga. The
Sunbelt winner will receive $14,000 plus several prizes.
The
deadline for applications is Feb. 24. A panel of judges will interview
farmers from five geographic regions along with one at-large contestant
later this year. These six farms will then compete for the state title.
Farms
will be judged on environmental stewardship, overall appearance,
accomplishments, efficiency and leadership of the farm owner. Any size
farm is eligible for the competition. The winner will be announced
during a ceremony April 19 in Birmingham.
"This
competition serves to recognize the cream of the crop in Alabama
agriculture," said J. Paul Till, chairman of the Alabama Farm-City
Committee. "These are farmers who, through hard work, good
conservation and management and innovation, have excelled. In offering
these prizes, the sponsors are showing that they also recognize the good
job they are doing."
Copies
of the application for the 2006 Farm of Distinction are available on the
Alfa Farmers’ website at www.alfafarmers.org/farm-city
and AFC’s website at www.alafarm.com.
For more information, call 1-800-392-5705, ext. 4410 or email [email protected].
The
Farm-City Committee of Alabama presents the Farm of Distinction Award
annually. Farm-City Week is observed nationally each year the week
before Thanksgiving. |
