The Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association held their annual banquet March 9 at the A.W. Todd Centre in downtown Russellville. As an outreach to help fellow Cattlemen affected by loss from the fires in the Texas Panhandle, the FC Cattlemen announced raising $778. A vote confirmed the officers for the next year – Michael Pounders, president; Caleb Beason, vice-president; and Jack Hargett and Bonnie Hargett as secretary and treasurer.

Marty Graham was named Cattleman of the Year. In 2017, the farm received the Century Heritage award. At the 2021 Farm-City banquet in Russellville, the Graham family was named Farm Family of the Year for Golden Farms, which originated in the late 1890s. Martin Golden Jr. carried on row crops until the 1980s, when he decided to raise cattle. 

Graham is a 1998 graduate of Russellville High School and a 2003 graduate of Auburn University. He is employed at Alabama Farm Credit in Tuscumbia. In announcing the award, the group said his “passion for environmental stewardship, animal welfare, and industry excellence can be seen on his multigenerational cattle operation,” Golden Farms, a 600-acre cow-and-calf operation running between 130 to 150 brood cows, located in the Newburg Community.

Colt Thomas and Blaine McDuffa received the Grayson Garcia Memorial Scholarship for their work in the beef cattle industry. 

Katerina Cole Coffey, Franklin County Extension Coordinator; Austin Blankenship, Franklin County 4-H Agent; and Kerry Steedly, Regional Extension Agent for Forestry, Wildlife and Natural Resources, spoke.

Keynote speakers included Lauranne James, executive director of the Northwest Alabama RC& D Council, who spoke about the importance of partnerships and the role RC&D plays in strengthening communities, and Leslie Goins, a livestock production specialist, who spoke on cattle nutrition, markets and the role she plays in ensuring farmers and ranchers are successful.