Several local dairy farms have been named Washington County Farm Family of the Year during the past nine years.
The Farm Family of the Year program is sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau and a number of other agricultural services. The program has been around more than 70 years.
Here's information from some of those farms from when they were named Farm Family of the Year
The Weaver Family
Michael Weaver is a third generation dairy farmer and he, his wife Kristi and son Levi were named the 2015 Farm Family of the Year for their farm named Weaver Dairy, a 100-acre farm located in the Hogeye community.
Weaver's grandparents started the family in the dairy farm business on a farm nearby in Hogeye in the 1950s. His parents started a dairy farm near Prairie Grove and then moved it to the current location in Hogeye in 1983.
At the time of the award, Michael Weaver had been a full-time farmer for 10 years.
The family was selected for the 2015 honor because of their devotion in giving back to the community and their work to instill new practices on their farm. In addition, the committee making the selection was impressed that both Michael and Kristi had committed to being full-time farmers, according to Berni Kurz, the former staff chairman for Washington County's University of Arkansas Extension Office.
The Davis Family
Scott Davis, his wife Cassie and their two children were named Washington County Farm Family of the Year in 2012 for their dairy farm, Davis Riverview Farms. The same year they were named Farm Family of the Year for the Northwest District.
Scott Davis is following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather on the family land. His father established a dairy farm on this land outside Prairie Grove on Pearson Ranch Road in 1977 and Davis became a partner with his dad in 2001.
Scott and Cassie Davis, at the time, said they had several goals as dairy farmers and the primary ones were to improve animal welfare and be a good steward of the land. Davis said his focus is quality over quantity, improving the quality of the cow.
Davis said he decided to stay with the family business because he loves the outdoors, working with livestock and loves working the land.
The Hart Family
The John Robert Hart family of Prairie Grove was named the 2010 Washington County Farm Family of the Year. The family members included in the honor are John Robert Hart, Carolyn Hart, Wesley Hart, Myers Hart, Evan Hart, Kenny Fitch, Julie Love and Wayne Love.
The Harts had worked the farm for generations and lived in a home built before the Civil War. Their farm is located two miles north of Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park and overlooks pasture land and the Illinois River to the east.
In 2010, the 250-acre spread included dairy and poultry operations. The family milked 90 cows twice a day, with each cow producing about 50 pounds of milk each day.
SOURCE: WASHINGTON COUNTY ENTERPRISE-LEADER ARCHIVES
General News on 06/05/2019