Mary Courtney is the first winner from Kentucky
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
With Mother’s Day this coming Sunday (don’t forget!), a mother from Kentucky received the gift of being named the 2016 America’s Farmers Farm Mom of the Year.
Her husband Shane nominated her for the award and described Mary’s ability to balance farming, being a mother to four children and director of a multi-state ag lender with ease.
“Where she has a will, she finds a way,” Shane said in a press release issued by Monsanto, the sponsor of the award. “We began our farming operation from scratch in 2008, the same year we welcomed our first son.”
“My roles are wife, mother and farmer,” Mary describes in her online America’s Farmers profile
Shane and Mary operate Courtney Farms in Bagdad, Kentucky, where they produce corn, soybeans, peppers, watermelon and have cattle.
Shane said Mary manages a staff of about 18 migrant workers, oversees different areas of local fruit and vegetable production, and teaches the older children to bottle feed calves.
She also created at ‘Touch the Dirt Day’, encouraging others to visit the farm and learn how food is raised and interact with the farmers.
In addition, Mary sits on the Shelby County Kentucky Farm Bureau Board, is involved with Louisville’s Farm to Table program and serves on the Shelby County Extension Council.
Farms.com could like to extend its congratulations to Mary on being named 2016 Farm Mom of the Year, and wish all farm moms a Happy Mother’s Day!