Honors keep coming for Hostetlers

K&K Farms is already back in the spotlight.

Less than a month after it was announced that brothers Kevin and Kenyon Hostetler of Green Forest, along with their wives and children, were honored as the Carroll County Farm Family of the Year, Arkansas Farm Bureau announced last week that they had been selected as one of eight families across the state that were chosen for district honors and a shot at the 75th annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year award, which will be announced Dec. 8.

“We are honored to have been chosen for District Farm Family of the Year,” said Kevin Hostetler.

The Hostetlers join East Central District honorees Bubba and Jay Lindsey, brothers from Forrest City; North Central District honorees Ben and Mandy Hays of Pleasant Plains; Northeast District honorees Terry and Clay Smith, a father-son duo from Paragould; Southeast District honorees Clay and Shannon Young of Poplar Grove; Southwest District honorees Tim and Jana Robertson of Hope; West Central District honorees Ted and Steve Huneycutt, brothers from Arkadelphia; and Western District honorees William, Robert and Barry Stobaugh of Atkins.

The Farm Family of the Year program begins each year with the selection of top farm families in each county and culminates in December with the selection of the state Farm Family of the Year, who then go on to represent Arkansas at the Swisher Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year competition.

Arkansas has had two Southeast Farm of the Year winners, Brian and Nan Kirksey of Clark County in 2008 and Wildy Family Farms of Mississippi County in 2016.

All families are judged on their farm production, efficiency, management, family life and rural/community leadership.

Carroll County Extension agent Olivia Foster, who serves as the chair of the county’s Farm Family selection committee, said she always has high hopes for the Carroll County honorees.

“Every year, I always think our families are going to do well,” said Foster. “We’ve just got so many impressive producers in our county that have really neat, diverse operations that they’re so innovative with. Every year, I think the committee does a good job selecting farm families that are deserving and there are many more that haven’t been selected just yet.”

Naturally, Foster said that she had a good feeling that the Hostetlers would do well.

“Working with Kevin and Kenyon and their families, I thought they had a good chance to advance on,” Foster said. “They have a really neat operation going on, a lot of diversity with all their different forages and the different technologies that they’ve brought in in order to be more efficient with their production.

“I was excited when they were announced as the district winner, but also not surprised.”

Kevin and his wife, Teresa, along with Kenyon and his wife, Josie, have been farming for 14 years. They grow alfalfa, both grain and forage soybeans and wheat and raise cattle and poultry on 1,787 acres. Kevin and Teresa have three children, Kristine, Logan and Amy. Kenyon and Josie have three children as well, Konner, Kamri and Kaidynce.

A large part of the Hostetlers’ operation is producing hatching eggs for Tyson Foods. Phillip Speegle, complex manager at Tyson Foods’ NWA Live Growout, said the Hostetlers are certainly worthy of the honor.

“We depend on independent chicken farmers to raise high-quality birds, and we enjoy watching them succeed,” Speegle said. “Keven and Kenyon work hard to help us provide a quality product for our customers and they absolutely deserve the recognition.

“We wish the Hostetlers the very best as they compete for the Arkansas State Farm Family of the Year title.”