LUMBERTON — Carey Brixey was recently named Farmer of the Year during the Robeson County Cooperative Extension’s 53rd annual Awards and Recognition Banquet. The Lumberton resident runs J.B. Farms.
Larry Wooten, president of North Carolina Farm Bureau, served as the guest speaker for the event, which was held Jan. 21 at the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center in Lumberton. After telling the crowd of 122 people about the vital role that agriculture plays in the state economy, Wooten was presented with an award of his own for Distinguished Service to Agriculture.
Josh Miller of Rowland received the Young Farmer of the Year award; Gerald, Jennings and Joe Hayes of Hayes Brothers Farm received the award for Family Farm of the Year; Andy, Kay and Greyson Burns of J-Ham Farms and Grain received the Breaking New Ground award for their expanded facilities in Lumberton; and Jimmy and Mitzi Powers of Powers Strawberries and Farm Market received the award for Distinguished Educational Service to Agriculture.
Winners of the annual Top Yield contests were also announced during the banquet. Henry Locklear won top prize in the Irrigated Corn Yield Contest with a yield of 266.52 bushels per acre. Bo Stone of P&S Farms came in second place and Landon Moore of L&R Moore Farms came in third place.
In addition to his plaque for Farmer of the Year, Brixey took home first place in the No-Till Dryland Corn Yield Contest, with 225.65 bushels per acre. King Family Farms came in second place.
Mitch Britt won first place in the Conventional Dryland Corn Yield Contest with 211.11 bushels per acre. Charles Roberts came in second place and Lee Moore came in third place. Locklear Brothers Farm won first place in the Soybean Yield Contest, with 76.3 bushels per acre. Second place went to Moore Brothers Ag and third place went to Bo Stone.
Lacy Cummings won first place in the Wheat Yield Contest, with 81.63 bushels per acre. Randy Britt was the second place winner and Lawrence Locklear came in third place.
