Perry County farmer Charles Holmes has been recognized with one of Alabama agriculture’s top honors. Holmes, owner of Holmestead Farms near Marion, was named the Production Industry honoree in this year’s Alabama Agricultural Hall of Honor class at a banquet hosted last week by the Auburn University Agricultural Alumni Association.
Holmestead Farms is a six-generation family operation first homesteaded in 1819 by Holmes’ great-great-grandfather, William Moore. The farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is certified as a Century and Heritage Farm by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, recognizing more than 100 years of continuous operation by the same family.
According to Auburn’s announcement, Holmes has been singled out for his leadership in production agriculture, particularly in the area of conservation. The farm’s first conservation plan was written in 1937 and has been revised repeatedly as new technology and practices have become available. Today Holmes manages the land for timber, wildlife and education, with an emphasis on responsible stewardship.
Community Leadership and Service
Holmes is also known for his work in the community. Holmestead Farms hosts “Classroom in the Forest” events that introduce Perry County fifth-graders to forestry and wildlife management.
Holmes serves on the Perry County Soil and Water Conservation District board and is active in the Perry County Cattlemen’s Association, Perry County Farmers Federation and Perry County Historical and Preservation Society. He is a founder of the Perry County Chamber of Commerce and serves as vice-chair of the Alabama-Tombigbee Resource Conservation and Development Council.
About the Hall of Honor
The Agricultural Hall of Honor, established in 1984, recognizes leaders who have made long-term contributions to Alabama agriculture. This year’s class includes three Hall of Honor inductees and two recipients of the Agricultural Pioneer Award, which is presented posthumously.
Joining Holmes as Hall of Honor inductees are agribusiness honoree Martin Anthony “Andy” Sumblin and education/government honoree Dr. Arlie Powell.
Sumblin, a 1970 Auburn University graduate in agricultural economics, has spent more than 40 years with Nutrien Ag Solutions and helped found Covington Gin Company and Andalusia Peanut Company, while also operating Sumblin Farms in Coffee, Covington and Geneva counties.
Powell, a horticulturalist and longtime Auburn faculty member, is known for his pioneering blackberry production methods, his work with the Alabama Agricultural Weather Program and his role in establishing the Chilton Research and Extension Center and the Jemison nursery Petals from the Past.
Agricultural Pioneer Award Recipients
The Agricultural Pioneer Awards went to Dr. Clifton Cox and Dr. Gordon Patterson.
Cox, an agricultural economist who studied at what is now Auburn University and at Purdue University, went on to lead Armour and Company’s food division and later served as a senior academic administrator at the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Patterson, a Guntersville native, taught agriscience at Auburn University for 45 years, helped shape the Agriscience Teacher Education Program and advised the Auburn Collegiate FFA chapter while supporting state FFA conventions for decades.
