Farm Family Salute

We are proud to be a farm partner with the Boone County Farm Family of the Year - Brian and Tammy Lemon You exemplify the spirit of the American Farmer and your contributions to Arkansas Agriculture is appreciated in Northwest Arkansas. Find a Powell location near you at www.powellfeedstores.com Brian and Tammy believe their children are their most important responsibility on the farm. "You know, there's going to be more flocks of turkeys and more crops of calves and more goats, but you only get one chance at raising your kids," Brian said. "And it's so important to do that right and to spend your time with them and enjoy what they do. at's what Tammy and I feel is most important, the kids." Part of the Lemons' education on the farm has been exploring ways to improve conservation and how to protect the environment. "I have been on a steep learning curve these past few years," Brian said. "I used to think there was no way spraying chemicals on a pasture could be good for the environment. When I started farming the 600-acre farm aer my dad passed away, the pasture was overrun with a variety of weeds. Grass just couldn't grow. "As the life cycle of the weeds ended, it le the ground exposed to erosion," Brian said. "I had to do something. I started spraying to reduce weed coverage and applied litter from the turkey barns to build up the soil. is has greatly increased ground coverage, reducing the amount of erosion in the watershed. We have also been working with USDA APHIS Wildlife Services personnel to reduce the number of feral hogs in the area. ey destroy acres of ground coverage. We have been changing turkey barn lighting over to LED bulbs. We also keep honeybees which are very helpful in the health of vegetation through pollination." Looking ahead, the Lemon Farm has plans to add a better barn/shed for the goats. "I hope in the future to be able to attempt to 'goat-proof ' the entire farm so we can increase the size of our goat herd," Brian said. "Of course, my wife would really love for us to work on 'organizing our assets,' as she calls it. We have a lot of junk that I inherited with the farm and, I must agree with her, dealing with it needs to be higher on our list our priorities." Brian said it is a very big honor to be named Farm Family of the Year. "Especially because it was our peers who voted for us. If it hadn't been for my dad's hard work, I wouldn't be here. So, I was lucky to get started that way." For young farmers starting out, Brian advised, "I'd say it's gonna take a lot of hard work so get prepared for the disappointments and learn to be able to bounce back from them." BOONE I love the challenge of keeping the animals healthy and the pride that you get when you are successful at that. - Brian Lemon 2023 Farm Family Salute 10 June 2023

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