On the Local Level: Spring 2016

Farmer of the Year

Danny Kornegay of Princeton, N.C., was named winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award for 2015 at the Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show in Georgia.

A farmer for 45 years, Kornegay operates about 5,500 acres. His major commodities include tobacco, sweet potatoes, cotton, soybeans, wheat, peanuts and hogs. “I love farming, and I am blessed that my children and grandchildren are with me on the farm,” he said upon winning the award in October.

The farm is truly a family effort. His wife, Susie, worked alongside her husband in the fields during the early years of their marriage. She now helps manage the farm’s office and also spends time with their five grandsons. Their daughter, Kim Kornegay-LeQuire, started working full time on the farm several years ago. She now handles food safety, payroll, promotion, quality control and customer service. Their son, Dan, is the farm’s manager. In addition to supervising crop production practices, he also focuses on grain marketing, implementing conservation practices, maintaining application records, and buying seed and other crop inputs.

The Farmer of the Year award recognizes excellence in agricultural production and farm management, along with leadership in farm and community organizations. The award also honors family contributions in producing safe and abundant supplies of food, fiber, and shelter products. In the 26-year-history of the award, Kornegay is the fourth overall Farmer of the Year winner to come from North Carolina.