Local grower named as a finalists in Florida Farm Bureau’s 2012 statewide competition

Three finalists in Florida Farm Bureau’s 2012 statewide competition

Gainesville, Fla. – A Gadsden County nurseryman has been selected as a finalist for Florida Farm Bureau’s 2012 Achievement in Agriculture Award. Richard May, production manager for May Nursery, is one of three nominees for the prestigious statewide honor.

The award is reserved for full-time agricultural producers under the age of 35. Finalists are evaluated on the financial stability and development of their respective farm enterprises as well as their leadership in Farm Bureau and their local communities.

 May is a member of a family farm that has been in continuous operation since the 1840s. Along with several relatives, he has built a large wholesale nursery that markets plants throughout the eastern U.S. The nursery produces more than 500 different varieties of plants in six different container sizes.

 Like other family members, Richard May is actively involved in his community. He serves as treasurer of the Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce, is a youth leader at the First Presbyterian Church in Quincy and is a member of the board of directors of the Robert F. Munroe School. May and his wife, Melissa, live in Quincy with their three children.

Jeff and Kelly Willis, Columbia County beef cattle producers, have been selected as finalists for Florida Farm Bureau’s 2012 Achievement in Agriculture Award. The husband and wife duo are one of the three nominees for the prestigious statewide honor. 

Jeff Willis is a sixth-generation Florida agriculturist and began his own operation in 1999 with 280 head of cattle. He now has a herd of 400 cattle along with a diverse crop list that includes grass seed, hay, field corn and peanuts. 

Jeff Willis is the chairperson of the Columbia County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers. Jeff and Kelly are both members of the Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Group and actively participate in Agriculture in the Classroom’s Ag Literacy Day.  The Willises live in Lake City with their child

Josh and Amy Farley, Clay County beef cattle producers, have been selected as finalists for Florida Farm Bureau’s 2012 Achievement in Agriculture Award. The husband and wife duo are one of the three nominees for the prestigious statewide honor.

Josh Farley was raised in a ranching family and began his own operation in 1995 with 25 head of cattle and dreams of one day owning more. Eighteen years later the Farley family own 1,060 head of cattle and have begun exploring other opportunities in the cattle industry. 

Josh and Amy Farley are actively involved in the Clay County Farm Bureau. He serves on the board of directors, is a member of the Young Farmers and Ranchers committee chair and a member of the Farm City Legislative Tour Committee. She serves as a member of the Women’s Committee and the Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. The Farleys’ live in Green Cove Springs with their two children.