Owensboro’s Gary Cecil has been named Kentucky Farmer of the Year by the Sunbelt Ag Expo. He will now be in the running to be named the overall winner among the 10 participating states.
In a release that details Cecil’s 50-year career in farming, he said:
“You’ve got to want it badly and truly enjoy it to make it your way of life. Passion is essential because when the hard times come, you might be tempted to walk away. But there’s that ever-renewing, pure satisfaction of watching crops get planted, grow to maturity, and get harvested. There’s really no better feeling on earth.”
Cecil and his wife Imelda were high school sweethearts that got married in 1974. They have three children — Ryan Cecil, 46, Suzanne Cecil White, 43, and Katie Cecil, 37 — who are deeply involved in Cecil Farms Produce, LLC.
Cecil began his career by renting 10 acres of tobacco land and hauling hay for area farmers and ear corn to local elevators. According to a release, Cecil now operates 2,414 acres — 180 of which are owned by the family and the rest of which are rented.
According to a release, crop yields for Cecil Farms Produce are as follows: 450 acres of watermelons yielding 51,200 lbs/acre; 1,083 acres of corn yielding 195 bushels/acre; 882 acres of soybeans yielding 65 bushels/acre; 20 acres of mixed vegetables yielding 1,500 boxes of tomatoes and 2,000 boxes of bell peppers; and 43,000 square feet of greenhouse flowers yielding 10,000 bedding plants, ferns, and mixed baskets.
Cecil said fruit and vegetable production are very labor intensive, so in the early years there was “excessive turnover in employees, making it difficult to complete jobs or expand our operation.”
So 28 years ago, his solution was to turn to the H-2A program of bringing in seasonal workers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the program “allows agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature.’
Cecil currently employs 21 H-2A workers, according to the release.
“This reliable resource transformed our farm; we’ve had more consistency than ever, and over half the workers we employ today have been with us since the beginning. This core group has helped to build our future team as well by recruiting and training additional, younger team members in their work. It’s been vital to our growth and our operation’s advancement,” he said in the release.
Cecil Farms has an active role in the community, working with local boys and girls clubs, sponsoring programs such as the Salvation Army Summer Camp, and maintaining relationships with local schools and restaurants.
The family also operates an event venue that draws thousands of people to events held throughout the year, offers an Airbnb Farmhouse rental that attracts visitors from all over the country, and has a hand in other ag-related business ventures.
Cecil said his three adult children and their innovative thinking have helped the family farm continue to expand.
“You need the perspective of youth to energize and grow your operation,” he said. “And they have the capability and willingness to reinvent, change, and evolve as the times dictate. They’re open to implementing new ideas and enterprises, which is essential to the future viability of the farm.”
Cecil has served on multiple committees and been a part of various organizations since the start of his farming career. He was named President of the Daviess County Farm Bureau Board in 1991 and 1997, and he was awarded “2022 Favorite Farmer/Food Producer” by Owensboro Living in a people’s choice award. He was also the 2022 Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) Farmer of the Year.
Cecil was nominated for Sunbelt Ag Expo Kentucky Farmer of the Year by Scott Elliott, President of Daviess County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
“Gary is a person of integrity who has a strong work ethic that he and his wife have passed down to their children,” Elliott said in a release. “The family works together as a unit, using each other’s strengths to make Cecil Farms a successful, diversified farming operation. Gary is an exceptional leader who gives unselfishly of his time to benefit agriculture, farmers, and his community.”
The state winners of the Sunbelt Ag Expo award each receive a $2,500 cash award, a vest, and a local keepsake. The 10 state winners are now eligible for the $15,000 cash prize awarded to the overall winner by the sponsors.
