Palmer family honored as top county farmers

The Terry and Bret Palmer families were selected as the 2009 Clay County Farm Family of the year. Family members include, from left: Bret Palmer, Landon Palmer, Jami Palmer, Dominique Coln, Dereta Palmer, Cassie Knight and Cody Knight. The Palmers are featured in a special section located in this edition. [Click to enlarge]

A large crowd gathered Wednesday at Holly Island to celebrate the naming of Bret and Terry Palmer as the 2009 Clay County Farm Family. The father and son partnership also is nominated for recognition at the state level.

Established in 1947, the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program is an effort to recognize those in the state who show excellence not only in agriculture, but in their communities as well. The program is sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau, the Arkansas Press Association, Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit Midsouth Associations and Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. The award is made possible through the cooperation of the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education, University of Arkansas' Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service and the United States Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Services and Rural Development programs.

Terry has been farming for most of his life, beginning at a very young age alongside his father, the late G.L. Palmer, in fields the family still cultivates to this day. He began working on the 240 acres owned by his father, with additional land added through the years. Terry rented his first fields in 1975. He continued to work with his father until the elder Palmer retired in 1984, at which time Terry took over the family operation.

Bret, 32, grew up idolizing his father and grandfather. Always interested in farming and its role in his family's history, he says there was never much doubt in his mind as to what he wanted to do with his life.

"I've always wanted to farm," Bret said. "I grew up on this land and always had a love for the lifestyle.

"I started doing stuff on the farm at a pretty young age. I can remember how excited I was when I started disking ground at 13. When I was 14, dad let me start plowing cotton. I thought I was really something then for him to let me do that."

As Bret reached adulthood, father and son discussed the future. With available land limited, Bret decided to attend Arkansas State University, where he received a General Agriculture degree. Bret rented his first plot of land from Graves Gin while continuing his education. The money earned from a successful crop helped cover his expenses. When he completed his degree in 2000, Bret was farming 500 acres in addition to helping his father.

Today, the father and son farm 3,510 acres. Cotton is their largest crop, with irrigated cotton occupying more than 1,900 acres -- approximately 200 acres of the dryland variety. They also maintain 200 acres of corn and more than 1,200 acres of soybeans.

"We've come a long way," Terry said. "Things are quite a bit different than they were when I started farming."

The Palmers say being recognized as Farm Family of the Year means a great deal to them.

"We're honored to be chosen," Bret said. "This community is blessed with a lot of good farmers. We feel honored to be chosen as one of them. It means a lot to our entire family."