Adam Davis of Halifax County received the 2023 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Achievement Award. He was recognized July 29 during the VFBF Young Farmers Summer Expo in Page County.

The Achievement Award recognizes outstanding young farmers for their business success and volunteer involvement, while helping them evaluate their business plans and set goals to strengthen their farming operations.

Davis raises Black Angus cattle, soybeans, wheat and corn in Halifax County. He also serves on the Halifax County Farm Bureau board and the VFBF Young Farmers Committee.

During his presentation to award judges, Davis shared how he navigated the challenges of being a beginning farmer. He started farming in 2012 with a single tractor and 60 acres of rented farmland, and today he manages around 700 acres of crops, 200 acres of pasture and an 82-acre Angus cow-calf operation.

As sole proprietor and manager of the growing business, Davis maintains a rigorous schedule. He expressed pride in knowing his crop and cattle operations “inside and out.”

His duties include managing the crops throughout the growing seasons; harvesting, shipping and marketing them; and scouting plant health and treating crops for weed and pest problems. He also oversees breeding, calving and his cattle herd’s movement in the market.

Davis shared how he has improved efficiency over the years through practices such as rotational grazing, cover cropping and applying a manure-based fertility system.

He also serves as an advocate for agriculture by staying active in organizations and advocacy groups across the state and country, serving in various leadership capacities, and conversing with others who are unfamiliar with agriculture.

This year marks Davis’ 12th year of farming and his seventh year as a full-time farmer. He attributes his success to help from his soil and water conservation district advisers and veteran farmers, and his devotion to taking care of the land and achieving his goals.

He hopes to hire a full-time farm employee to improve efficiency and lighten his workload, mindful that taking on too much can impact a farmer’s mental health. He also works toward his long-term goal of obtaining ownership of more cropland by focusing on landlord relationships, searching for non-conventional financing strategies, and putting aside a greater percentage of net farm income for land acquisitions.

Davis found the award application process to be rewarding and “eye-opening,” as it allowed him to reflect on what he has accomplished.

“I think a lot of times it’s easy to forget how life is going; you get so busy, you forget all that you’ve done—it’s really important to reflect back on that,” he said.

As Achievement Award winner, Davis will receive a 250-hour lease on a piece of Kubota equipment courtesy of VFBF and Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., and a travel package to the 2024 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention, where he will compete for the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award.

Nick Moody of Dinwiddie County was named this year’s runner-up and will receive $750 and a trip to the AFBF convention. Other finalists were Logan Grant of Rockbridge County, Bradley Ragsdale of Pittsylvania County, Wesley Roberts of Orange County, and Marshall Slaven of Augusta County.



With 133,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farmers’ advocacy group. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization committed to supporting Virginia’s agriculture industry.

Contact Pam Wiley, VFBF vice president of communications, at 804-291-6315.