ITTLE ROCK – Derek and Shannon Haigwood of Newport won the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 2015 Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Achievement Award. Farm Bureau honored them Dec. 3 at its 81st annual convention at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Little Rock.

The Haigwoods are a fourth generation row-crop farm family and grow soybeans, rice, corn and cotton on 3,130 acres. Derek is 35 years old and Shannon is 34. The Haigwoods have one child, 3-year-old Judah. The Haigwoods want to leave a sustainable farming legacy for their son.

“I’m passionately involved with making sure my son has the tools necessary to farm. No one is going to take better care of the ground that I farm,” Haigwood said. “It’s where I make my living, so who better to protect it than the farmers? Receiving this recognition is an incredible honor.”

Derek served as Jackson County Farm Bureau president, vice president and secretary. He’s active with the United Soybean Board, United States Soybean Export Council and USA Rice Federation. Shannon is presently serving on the county Women’s Committee and served on the Annual Meeting Planning Committee this year. The Haigwoods are active at First Baptist Church in Newport.

The Haigwoods won a $40,000 gift card to use toward the purchase of a new 2016 General Motors vehicle courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Company.

The runners-up in the competition were Jeremy and Tracie Kitchens of Lewisville, who raise cattle and swine, and Jamey and Sara Allen of Prattsville, who raise cattle and operate a gate and panel company. Each couple won $1,000. 

Jake Haak of Gentry won the YF&R Discussion Meet. Haak is the chief financial officer for the Rogers School District. Haak also helps on his parents’ dairy farm. The discussion meet provides a forum for young farm leaders to demonstrate their verbal and problem-solving presentation skills while they discuss their views on issues affecting agriculture. There were seven competitors in the Discussion Meet.

Haak, 35, won $7,000 toward the purchase of a Polaris All-Terrain Vehicle courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. and $2,500 from Farm Bureau Bank.

Honors also went to Grant and Heather Keenen of Washington County. The couple won the Excellence in Agriculture award. The award recognizes young farmers involved in agriculture but who get the majority of income off the farm.

The Keenens have a beef cattle, wheat, corn and soybean farm. Away from their farm, Grant, 35, manages the Pat and Willard Walker Charolais cattle ranch. Heather works in the poultry industry managing farm appraisals in four states. The Keenens have a 2-year-old daughter, Bella Cate. 

The Keenens won a Polaris Ranger All-Terrain Vehicle courtesy of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company and $2,500 courtesy of Publishing Concepts Inc. 

All winners also earned expense-paid trips in January to the American Farm Bureau Federation national conference in Orlando where they’ll compete for national awards.

Arkansas Farm Bureau president Randy Veach (left) and vice president Rich Hillman (right) present the 2015 Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award Shannon and Derek Haigwood of Newport (Jackson County) at the organization's annual convention in Little Rock Dec. 3. 

Arkansas Farm Bureau president Randy Veach (left) and vice president Rich Hillman (right) present the 2015 Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award to Grant and Heather Keenen of Farmington (Washington County) at the organization's annual convention in Little Rock Dec. 3.

Arkansas Farm Bureau president Randy Veach (left) and vice president Rich Hillman (right)  present the 2015 Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion Met Award to Jake Haak of Gentry (Benton County) at the organization's 81st annual convention in Little Rock Dec. 3.