Weakley County’s Ben and Jennifer Moore Win State Young Farmer Honors

Dresden farm couple Ben and Jennifer Moore were named Tennessee Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Young Farmer and Achievement Award winners during special ceremonies held Saturday evening at the Tennessee Young Farmer Summer Conference. The Moores, Weakley County Farm Bureau’s 2011 Young Farmers of the Year, bested 20 other county contestants in state competition held at the headquarter offices of the Tennessee Farm Bureau in Columbia, Tenn., to be named the state winners and to also have the opportunity to compete for national honors in January.

They were named this year’s winners based upon farm and financial records from the farm year 2010. The Moores farm over 3,400 acres in the surrounding Dresden area of Weakley County. Their major crops are corn, soybeans and pasture for an approximate 75 head cow/calf livestock herd that they manage. Jennifer also manages 4,000 sows and 14 employees on a separate operation. The couple also has their own swine operation as well.

Both Ben and Jennifer have been very active in the Young Farmer and Rancher program, as well as the Weakley County Farm Bureau and his community. Ben has served as the state YF&R committee chairman, a member of the TFBF Board of Directors, American Farm Bureau PAL scholarship participant and held numerous county YF&R leadership positions. Jennifer is a member of the Tennessee Pork Producers Association, active on numerous YF&R committees, as well as several community organizations. The Moores have three sons.

The rewards for being named the state winner are many. The Moores receive a year’s free use of a brand new Case/IH tractor up to 150 hours. They also received $500 from Tennessee Farm Bureau, $500 from Ford and Farm Bureau Member Benefits programs, a fully loaded RTV to keep from Tennessee Farm Bureau, an insurance policy to cover the tractor for one year from Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee and a trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in Hawaii January 2012, where they will compete for national honors with other state winners for national awards. The national winner will receive a new 2012 truck and each of the four runners-up will receive a new Case IH DX compact tractor to keep.