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Alabama’s
top farmers can win cash and prizes worth more than $10,000 in the 2007
Alabama Farm of Distinction competition, a Farm-City program that seeks
to identify the best farms in the state.
SunSouth,
a regional network of Alabama and Georgia John Deere dealers, will be
donating a new John Deere Gator valued at more than $5,000 to the 2007
Alabama Farm of Distinction winner. SunSouth dealerships sponsoring the
prize are located in Alabama and Georgia. Dealerships in Alabama are:
Abbeville, Andalusia, Brundidge, Clanton, Dothan, Montgomery, Samson and
Tuskegee. Dealerships in Georgia are: Blakely, Columbus, Donalsonville
and LaGrange.
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 $1,500.
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.
16-18 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. 23. 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 16 in Birmingham.
"Alabama
has many outstanding farms that deserve recognition. Making a living on
the farm gets tougher each year," said J. Paul Till, chairman of
the Alabama Farm-City Committee. "This program recognizes the
farmers who have excelled in good conservation, management and
innovation while maintaining an attractive homestead that represents
agriculture well. These awards show that the sponsors recognize the
great job these top farmers are doing."
Copies
of the application for the 2007 Farm of Distinction are available on the
Alfa Farmers’ website at www.AlfaFarmers.org/farm-city.
For more information, call 1-800-392-5705, ext. 4313 or email [email protected]. |
