N.C. Farm Bureau Agriculture Achievement Award 2016
John Burt of Fuquay-Varina says he wholeheartedly embraces a family-farming lifestyle. Burt runs his family’s century farm with his wife, Rachael, and their two young boys.
Burt won this year’s N.C. Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award.
As a full-time farmer, Burt is responsible for personal capital, along with management and decision-making on the farm. He operates an 18-stall horse barn, 100 head cow-calf herd, 90 acres of hay, 110 acres of pasture and 400 acres of timber. He’s also active in his community and helps out with consultations for other farmers, as well as pasture management advice at the local research station.
And though farming is a way of life, Burt says family comes first. “I want to begin integrating my two sons into the farming operation,” Burt says. “They are the most important crop that I will grow. My wife and I want to start building a good work ethic on the farm and help build character so that one day, they can be successful.”
The Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their operations and honed their leadership abilities to superiority. The contestants are evaluated on a combination of their farm’s operational growth and its financial progress, as well as leadership and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations. Judges look for excellence in management, growth and scope of the enterprise and self-initiative.
