John Henry Anderson "Andy" Smith IV of Russell County has been named this year’s Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Achievement Award winner.

Smith and his father operate Smithfield Farms in Rosedale, where they have a 310-head herd of beef cattle on 1,400 acres. They market through the Virginia Tel-O-Auction.

He was honored at the VFBF Young Farmers Summer Expo in Franklin. The Achievement Award recognizes farmers who are successful in production agriculture and provide leadership on and off the farm.

Smith is the eighth generation to live and work on Smithfield Farms, a National Bicentennial Farm.

He will receive up to 200 hours’ use of a Kubota M-series tractor from Kubota Tractor Corp., a new Stihl chain saw from Mid-Atlantic Stihl, $500 from Virginia’s Farm Credit associations, and $500 from Chesterfield County Farm Bureau. He also will receive a travel package to the 2011 VFBF Annual Convention in Norfolk, the 2012 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in Honolulu and the 2012 VFBF Young Farmers Winter Expo in Leesburg.

Winston Vaughan of Amelia County was this year’s runner-up.

Vaughan raises small grains, hay and cattle. He chaired the Amelia County Farm Bureau Young Farmers Committee from 2006-2010 and also served on the county Farm Bureau board.

Vaughan will receive $500 from Farm Bureau and a travel package to the 2012 AFBF convention.

With nearly 150,000 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 protecting Virginia’s farms and ensuring a safe, fresh and locally grown food supply.