MOULTRIE, Ga. — Already recognized and honored as state Farmers of the Year for their roles in agriculture and their communities, Jack Trumbo from Kentucky and George Clay from Tennessee will now compete for the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Southeastern Farmer of the Year.
This competition, now in its 26th year, actually takes place over a period of months with visits to the farms, interviews and other evaluations, and culminates in announcement of the winner at the Sunbelt Agriculture Expo in October.
Trumbo farms 2,000 acres in Simpsonville, Ky., primarily raising corn, soy and wheat. He has been farming for 64 years. He also raises 800 acres of rye both as cover and as a straw supply. A lucrative side business has developed with straw sales to equine users and landscapers.
In addition to his direct farming activities he also performs farm services in his area. These include planting, spraying, harvesting and mowing. He recently purchased a vacant manufacturing facility to provide equipment storage and repair space, as yet another service.
Trumbo was recently injured in a tractor accident and has become an advocate for tractor safety. This includes safety devices and operation education.
Clay has farmed in the Pelham, Tenn., area for 57 years. His current operation uses 2,100 acres; Clay owns 1,100 and rents the rest. His crops include corn, wheat, soy and hay.
Beef production, on 235 acres, includes 115 cows with annual sales of about 100 calves. He uses bulls from the University of Tennessee Bull Test Station Sales.
Conservation tillage is practiced with routine soil testing and modification as necessary. Clay’s farm is the site of a UT field day, and numerous student groups are hosted. His farm is also a UT demonstration site.
He practices careful market analysis to execute a sales strategy to maximize cash flow, minimize taxes and reduce market risk. His wife of 61 years, Edwene, performs most of the business operations.
Both Clay and Trumbo are active in their communities, Farm Bureaus, various crop associations, churches and other civic functions. Tennessee farmers have previously won the overall Southeastern title in 1998 and in 2006. Kentucky first joined the competition in 2006 and has yet to win the overall title.
The Southeastern Farmer of the Year is more than just a title – prizes, in addition to $2,500 cash and other items as a state winner, include an additional $15,000 cash, the use of a Massey Ferguson tractor for a year and an expense-paid trip to the Expo. Green blazer jackets are awarded to the group at a banquet the night before the Expo opening.
A second group of additional prizes duplicate the state package, which includes a $500 gift certificate from the Southern States Cooperative, Phytogen awarding either $1,000 in cotton seed or a $500 donation to the winner’s designated charity and a Columbia vest from Ivey’s Outdoor and Farm Supply.
The Sunbelt Ag Expo is now in its 38th year. Dubbed "North America’s Premier Farm Show," it presents more than 1,200 vendors, nonprofits and educational groups spread across a 100-acre site. Every element of agriculture in the Southeast has representation at the event. Test drives of equipment are offered and educational seminars are presented. Some of the demonstrations and presentations take place on the Expo’s 600-acre Darrell Williams Research Farm.
Each of the 10 states’ Farmer of the Year are visited at their farm by a three-judge team. Their on-site observations are then combined with interviews. These visits took place on Aug. 13 at Trumbo’s Kentucky farm and Aug. 14 at Clay’s Tennessee farm.
The winner is announced at a luncheon on the Expo’s opening day. Hundreds of invited guests will cheer their state’s Farmer of the Year and witness the announcement of the overall winner.
This year’s Expo will take place Oct. 20-22 at Spence Field southeast of Moultrie, Ga. Full Expo information is available at www.sunbeltexpo.com or by calling 229-985-1968.
