McCRORY — Brad Burkett comes from a long line of farmers. In fact, the first farmer to work part of the land that Burkett now works in Woodruff County did so in 1874.
Brad, 42, and his wife, Angie, 41, along with their sons, Garrett, 14, and Gavin, 11, are the 2016 Woodruff County Farm Family of the Year.
They raise rice, corn and soybeans on approximately 3,000 acres of leased land in the county.
Brad, the son of Mike and Carole Burkett of McCrory, is the sixth generation to farm the land. His sons, Garret and Gavin, would be the seventh generation to farm the land, part of which was designated an Arkansas Century Farm in 2013 by the Arkansas Agriculture Department. The Arkansas Century Farm program honors families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years.
The Burkett farm was purchased originally by Eli Burkett in 1874 and consisted of 40 acres 2 miles south of McCrory. The land has come down through the generations, to Mike Burkett in 2005 and now to Mike’s son, Brad Burkett.
“Dad and I farm separately and together,” Brad said. “Between us, we farm about 4,000 acres with about 3,300 of those being mine.
“Dad was the Woodruff County Farm Family of the Year a few years ago, back in the 1980s. I was close to Garrett’s age. I remember it. It was an honor then, and it is an honor now, to be recognized. I wouldn’t be where I am without all the hard work done by my family and without the support of my wife or without the blessings of the Lord.”
Brad has one sister, Fran LaForce of Searcy, who is not involved in the farming operation.
Brad graduated from McCrory High School in 1992 and from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville in 1996 with a degree in agriculture business and animal science.
“I did not come back to the farm right after I graduated from college. I worked for the Arkansas Plant Board for about a year, and then I got a call from a local company about becoming a crop consultant,” he said.
“Angie was about to graduate from dental hygiene school. I was living in Conway, and she was in Little Rock. We weren’t married yet. I checked into it and took the job with Lawhon Farm Services, which was later bought out by Ritter Crop Services,” Brad said.
“We moved back home to McCrory in 1997,” he said, noting that he worked for 13 years as a crop consultant and salesman for Lawhon Farm Services, working mainly with rice.
“While I was working as a crop consultant, I also started farming on a part-time basis in 2003 with the help of my dad. Then in 2010, Dad came to us and asked me to help him farm on a full-time basis,” Brad said. “So he and I started working on a progression plan to pass the farm from one generation to the next.
“I’m grateful to him for allowing us to work together. You just don’t jump in and go. I am still working with him and am grateful for his help. It’s a teamwork deal for us both.”
Brad said he is also grateful for the 13 years he spent off the farm, working as a crop consultant.
“That experience helped me,” he said. “During that time, I tried to help other farmers, but they also helped me. I have taken what I learned from them and applied it to my business today — and that’s what this farm is … a business.”
Angie also grew up in McCrory. She graduated from McCrory High School in 1993. She attended Arkansas Tech and then the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, where she graduated from the dental hygiene program in 1997.
Angie’s dad, the late Sammy James, was a farmer in McCrory.
Her stepmother, Carolyn James, still lives in McCrory. Angie’s mother, Brenda Burnett, lives in Heber Springs.
Brad and Angie were high school sweethearts. They were married in 1997.
Today, Angie is a dental hygienist. She is now an office manager at a dental office in Searcy.
The Burketts’ sons attend McCrory schools. Garrett will be in the ninth grade and Gavin in the fourth grade.
Garrett plays football at McCrory Junior High School and has recently taught himself to play the guitar. He is active in church youth activities.
Gavin is active in peewee football, basketball and currently, Little League baseball.
“Both boys help on the farm,” Brad said. “Garrett because he’s obligated to, but he always gives 100 percent. And Gavin because he loves it; he is fully interested in all things farming and is involved with the daily operations as much as his schedule allows.”
Brad said his goals for farming are “to survive and, hopefully, find ways to remain profitable in the face of today’s tougher economic environment; to maintain and grow relationships and communication with landowners of my land base; and to continue looking for opportunities for improvement on farms … and helping landowners with those decisions.”
The Burketts attend McCrory First Baptist Church, where Brad is an assistant Sunday School teacher. Brad also served on the building committee, the finance committee and the youth-pastor search committee. Angie teaches a girls Sunday School class.
Brad is a member of the Woodruff County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and the Woodruff County Natural Resources Conservation Service Board of Directors. He is the volunteer head basketball coach for second through sixth grades and the volunteer assistant peewee football coach.