Daniel and Carla Trantham were named the nation’s top young farm family Tuesday at the American Farm Bureau Federal Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The couple were thankful for the win, and what it means for the family.
“From the moment I saw the state award given at a state conference, winning this contest was my goal,” said Daniel Trantham. “This national award was the icing on the cake.
“This is a dream come true for our family.”
Carla said she was grateful for how the contest will aid her five children.
“This organization has changed the way our future will go, and it changes the trajectory of our kids’ lives,” she said.
The family bags and sells 80 tons of feed grain weekly at their storefront and through their feed stores. Since joining the farm full time in 2010, Daniel has doubled, and in some cases tripled, every aspect of the row crop, cattle and feed business.
“I’m most proud of our commercial feed business,” said Daniel, 34. “People wanted to buy feed, so once we saw we could fill that need, we went back to planting more corn and wheat.”
The family also operates a trucking company, where Carla manages payroll. The business hauls feed and birds for poultry integrators across the Southeast.
The Tranthams give back to their community by coordinating farm days and speaking to hundreds of schoolchildren about farming annually.
Daniel is the Calhoun County Young Farmers Chair, holds a position on ALFA’s state Soybean Committee and state Wheat and Feed Grain Committee, and is president of Trantham Farms.
Carla holds a position on the Federation’s State Women’s Leadership Committee.
The Tranthams’ win was also the first for an Alabama Farmers Federation family.
“Young farmers like Daniel and Carla give me incredible hope for the future,” Federation President Jimmy Parnell said. “They have a tremendous family operation, and we are so proud of the whole family.
“This award is a testament to the time they have put in and the love they have for agriculture.”
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
