Montgomery County’s Jay Head wins state young farmer honors

Montgomery County young farmer Jay Head was named Tennessee Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Young Farmer and Achievement Award winner during the Tennessee Young Farmer Summer Conference held at the headquarter offices of the Tennessee Farm Bureau in Columbia, Tenn. The young row crop and cattle farmer from the Cedar Hill community competed against 17 other county contestants across the state to be named the state winner and have the opportunity to compete for national honors in January.
 
Jay was named this year’s winner based upon farm and financial records from the farm year 2014. He farms approximately 5,300 acres near Clarksville in Montgomery County in an owner/partnership operation. His major crops are corn, soybeans, wheat, tobacco, hay and indigo. Head also raises more than 200 Angus-cross cows and recently began selling beef on a retail basis.
Head has been very active in the Young Farmer and Rancher program, as well as the Montgomery County Farm Bureau and his local community. He has served as vice-chair of the Tennessee YF&R State Committee and currently serves on both the legislative and executive committee of his local Farm Bureau county board. He has hosted county school farm tours and been a trainer for teachers in his county for several years and is active in his local church.
 
As the state winner of the Tennessee Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Ranchers Achievement Award, the rewards are numerous. Head receives a year’s free use of a brand new Case IH tractor up to 150 hours. He also receives $1000 from Tennessee Farm Bureau, a fully-loaded Polaris Ranger UTV from Tennessee Farm Bureau, an insurance policy to cover the tractor for one year from Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee, $500 in qualified Farm Bureau Services, $500 in services from Farmers Services and a trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in Orlando, Florida in January 2016, where he will compete for national honors with other state winners. The national winner will get their choice of a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado or 2016 GMC Sierra, courtesy of GM and paid registration to the 2016 YF&R Leadership Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Three national runners-up will receive a Case IH Farmall tractor, courtesy of Case IH, a $2,500 cash prize and $500 in merchandise courtesy of STIHL.
Jamie and Ashley Weaver of Coffee County were named runners-up in this year’s competition. District winners were: District One – Rusty and Christy Grills of Dyer County; District Two – Bradley Richardson of Maury County; District Three – Kary Robinson of Franklin County; District Four – Joe and Becky Smith of Overton County and District Five – Dustin and Chrissa Pearson of Washington County. Â