Sunbelt Ag Expo Farmer of the Year announced
John McCormick named Georgia Farmer of the Year, David Wildy takes overall honors
From Staff Reports
MOULTRIE — In what has become one of the highlights of the annual Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia officials announced the names of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Tuesday, with Arkansas’ David Wildy named the 2016 winner.
According to a press release from the Sunbelt Expo,Wildy, a diversified row crop farmer from Manila, Ark., was presented with the prestigious honor at the annual Willie B. Withers Luncheon held on the opening day of the three-day agricultural expo that draws more than 80,000 visitors from across the country to see the latest innovations in farming.
A full-time farmer since 1975, Wildy tends more than 12,000 acres and grows primarily cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat, although he recently became a new grower of peanuts and potatoes. He also has a small beef cattle heard.
In addition to his successes in farming, Wildy is well-known for his generosity and his willingness to share his farm and its resources with agricultural scientists and researches, including those from private industry and from the University of Arkansas, Arkansas State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“David is an outstanding representative of our nation’s best farmers,” said Pete Ghiloni, president and chief executive of Swisher International Inc., which sponsors the award. “It is an honor for our company and our Swisher Sweets cigar brand to recognize David and his farm.”
As the Southeastern Farm of the Year, Wildy will receive a $15,000 cash award, plus $2,500 as a state winner, both from Swisher International. He will also receive use of a Massey Ferguson tractor for a year from Massey Ferguson North America, a $500 gift certificate from Southern States cooperative, a Columbia jacket from Ivey’s Outdoor and Farm Supply, and a smoker grill from Hays LTI.
“Farming is a tradition in our family,” said Wildy in a press release. “And receiving this award is a humbling experience that we will all treasure.”
Wildy was chosen as Farmer of the Year from a group of nine other state farmers, including John McCormick, Georgia’s Farmer of the Year.
A crop farmer from east Georgia, McCormick has been a leader in using innovative farming practices, including the use of global positioning systems, planting soil-building cover crops and using variable-rate nutrient application and variable-rate irrigation.
At his farm near Sylvania, McCorkmick doublecrops 240-250 acres and raises crops on a total of 1,040 acres. He rents 340 acres and owns the rest. He owns a total of 1,020 acres that include some land in woods, ponds and swamps that is managed to benefit timber and wildlife.
McCormick primarily grows cotton, corn, peanuts and soybeans, although he grew up on a hog and tobacco farm in Bulloch County.
McCormick, along with the other state winners, received a $2,500 cash award and had his expenses paid to this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo, both by Swisher International. Additionally the state winners took home a $500 gift certificate from the Southern States cooperative and a Columbia Vest from Ivey’s Outdoor and Farm Supply.
The 2016 Sunblet Ag Expo will continue through Thursday.
Related Articles
‘Sounds Like a Mutiny.’ Secret Recording Exposes Claims of Toxic Leadership After a Marine’s Suicide
This week’s War Horse story follows the systemic failures before and after the death of Cpl. Drew Mobley who was the third in two years at Marine Corps Base Quantico to die by suicide.
Southwest Georgia artists recognized at packed opening of exhibition
The annual juried exhibition, one of the region’s largest showcases of visual art, features approximately 46 artists and nearly 90 works spanning painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography and mixed media.
Powerful performances drive Theatre Albany’s ‘The Color Purple’
From the street, strands of purple ribbon wind around the white columns of the historic theater, hinting at the story waiting beyond its doors. Inside the foyer, a carefully curated slideshow flickers across a large screen, cycling through the faces of the cast. Some are seasoned performers. Others are stepping onto a stage for the very first time. Teachers stand alongside former students. Parents perform beside their children. People who worship in different churches, work different jobs and come from different corners of Southwest Georgia gather beneath the same lights to tell the same story.
