Michael and Sarah Oxner of Searcy (White County) are the 2010 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year, announced today at a luncheon honoring the county and district Farm Families of the Year.The 2010 District Farm Family of the Year winners included:
Darrell and Jennifer Ford of Hope (Hempstead County), Southwest District.
Jeremy and Leslie Allmon of Murfreesboro (Pike County), West Central District.
Randy and Anjie Cockrum of Rudy (Crawford County), Northwest District.
Larry and Marilyn Huddleston of Waldron (Scott County), Western District.
Lammers Farm Partnership of Manila (Mississippi County), Northeast District.
Curt and Ellen Rankin of Lake Village (Chicot County), Southeast District.
Mark and Nancy Satterfield of Norfork (Baxter County), North Central District
They own Red River Farms near Bald Knob. Their operation consists of 6,080 acres of owned and rented land, with 2,700 acres dedicated to rice, 2,100 acres of soybeans, 300 acres of corn and 280 acres of cotton, as well as a 700-acre impoundment for wildlife. Michael and Sarah have three children, 5-year-old Mary Frances, 3-year-old Laura Grace and 2-year-old Paten.
Michael began farming at the age of 10 when, with the help of his grandfather, he planted two acres of soybeans. He began farming fulltime 22 years ago and now rents land in the Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge, where he grows rice, millet, corn and native grasses, providing food for wildlife. They flood the fields in fall for public hunting and to provide a sanctuary for migratory waterfowl.
Michael irrigates his crops with surface water re-lifted from the Little Red River, which is pumped into a system of irrigation canals. There are no subsurface wells used on their farm for irrigation purposes. Additionally, Red River Farms has on-farm storage capacity of 440,000 bushels, which provides the family with options for marketing their crops.
“The Oxner family is a wonderful example of the effective, efficient farming operations that exist in Arkansas,” said Andy Guffey, coordinator of the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program. “They are diligent protectors of the natural resources used in producing their crops, and provide a model of today’s modern farm, with a mixture of science, technology and old-fashioned hard work.”
As Arkansas’ Farm Family of the Year, the Oxners will compete in next year’s Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year program. The competition is held each October in Moultrie, Ga.
“The Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program is the longest-running farm family recognition program of its type in the United States,” said Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach, a cotton farmer from Manila (Mississippi County). “We are happy to recognize the fine men and women who work daily to raise crops and care for their livestock, while feeding a growing world population. We congratulate each of the county and district Farm Families of the Year.
