BENTON COUNTY — The Moorman family of Gravette was named Benton County Farm Family of the Year on Friday.
"We were pretty surprised and honored," Tracy Moorman said of the recognition.
Tracy and Jennifer Moorman operate a 335-acre beef and poultry farm near Gravette, according to Jim Singleton, chairman of the selection committee. They have 100 head of cattle and eight broiler houses. They are contract growers for George's, producing more than 1.2 million birds per year.
Singleton said this is the 69th year of the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program. The program aims to give recognition and encouragement to families who are doing an outstanding job on their farm and in their community and to disseminate information on improved farm practices and management, he said. The selection committee is made up of people involved in different aspects of agriculture from business and suppliers to bankers and Realtors, he said.
"We work to come up with a family that is highly involved in farming and is living up to the highest standards as far as protecting the environment and other best management practices. We also look for people who are very active in the community in which they live," Singleton said.
Moorman said he grew up on his family's farm near Sulphur Springs and has never wanted to do anything else. He said he wants to raise his family -- sons Bryce, 18; Brady, 16; and daughter Ella, 10 -- on a farm and will encourage and support them if they choose to continue the family tradition. He said he has had "a town job" but was glad to be able to devote himself full-time to farming.
"I enjoy staying at home and working on the farm," he said.
Farming remains a major part of the economy in Benton County, said Johnny Gunsaulis, cooperative extension service agent for the county.
"According to the most recent agricultural census, which was in 2012, Benton County is the No. 1 county in the state in total agriculture revenue," Gunsaulis said. "Washington County was No. 2, and those two counties were the biggest by far. The total Benton County agriculture revenue was $529 million in 2012, with the majority of that being from the poultry industry."
Benton County's 2012 census of agriculture showed more than 2,000 farms in the county, Gunsaulis said. Those farms listed more than 800,000 beef cows, which was about 7 percent of the state total. Beef cattle sales totaled more than $57 million in 2012, he said. Gunsaulis also said the census showed the county's broiler inventory was about 17.8 million birds, which was about one-eighth of the state's total.
Community on 05/25/2016