Cecil has chance to become Kentucky's first Sunbelt FOY

Don Wilkins, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
Updated ·2 min read

Aug. 19—When Daviess County grower Gary Cecil was named the Kentucky Farm Bureau Farmer of the Year in 2022, it qualified him for the Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Award that will be announced in October.

The Sunbelt Ag Expo brings 10 state winners — Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia — together for what's considered the most prestigious award for farmers in the United States.

It's at the Sunbelt Ag Expo where the overall winner is announced.

Kentucky is the only state represented that has never had a winner.

"I feel really honored just to get to participate in it," said Cecil, who will be attending the event for the first time. "I am excited about going."

The Sunbelt Ag Expo, which began in 1978, will take place Oct. 17-19 in Moultrie, Georgia.

Now in its 46th year, the Sunbelt Ag Expo attracts 1,200 exhibitors on 100 acres, with more than 100,000 people expected to attend.

Cecil started his farm in 1974 by raising tobacco and hauling ears of corn and bales of hay for other growers.

In the years following, Cecil's wife, Imelda, and three children — Ryan, Suzanne and Katie — have become an integral part of the farm business.

The Cecils no longer raise tobacco but have expanded their agribusiness into not only row crops but also mixed vegetables, greenhouse flowers and chemical and fertilizer spreading for other farm operations.

Cecil has also increased his watermelon production to the point that he's wholesaling to major grocery chains such as Kroger.

Scott Elliott, who was Daviess County's Farm Bureau board president when Cecil won last year's state award, said Cecil's diversity within his farm operation gives him a real chance at becoming Kentucky's first winner.

"We're excited about Gary," Elliott said. "He's got his family, and they have multiple things going — the spraying and fertilizing operation; the greenhouse operation along with flowers and vegetables. They have a wide assortment of things that they're doing. It's a big undertaking, and that's what makes them special."

The only other farmer within the Messenger-Inquirer's coverage area to ever have a chance at the Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Award was Ohio County's Darren Luttrell in 2018.

Leading up to the October ceremony, Cecil has had to go through an interview process that will be part of the consideration process for the award.

"We've made farming a career, and we've been passionate about it," Cecil said. "Things have all worked out. My family is all involved — it's not just me by myself. It's also been my wife, my son and my two daughters. They've made it all happen."