Massey family receives 2024 Young Peanut Farmer Award

The Florida Peanut Producer Association’s (FPPA) 48th Annual Meeting was held earlier this year in Marianna. During the meeting, Graceville couple Ashby and Mikaela Massey were named the Farm Credit and FPPA 2024 Young Peanut Farmer. The young family has been farming since November 2018 and commented on winning the award, “We had no idea we would be receiving the award when we arrived, it caught us completely by surprise! We were honored to be chosen!”

The Massey’s are lovers of the farm life with Mikaela commenting in an interview with The Graceville News, “I grew up in a farming family, my dad has farmed all his life and I knew I wanted to farm from a young age. When I met Ashby, he did not come from a farming background, but he quickly learned to love farming while we were dating.... Once we got engaged in 2016, we started making plans to get married, move to Graceville and farm with my dad and also rent some land of our own.”

Mikaela’s first taste of farming her own land came prior to Ashby though, with Mikaela giving gratitude to her father for teaching her how to not only farm land but be financially self-sufficient. Mikaela explained, “I graduated from high school in May 2015 and in order to pay for college my dad offered me 40 acres to rent from him so that I could have my own cotton and peanuts. It was a learning experience and I valued being able to learn the financial side of farming by having my own land to manage.” Even in the male-dominated industry, Mikaela commented that her love for farming was always in the forefront noting, “I didn't even think twice about going into farming being a woman, it's just what I wanted to do!”

Ashby also brought his own knowledge to their family farm when it started in 2018. While attending Troy University, Ashby worked at Sunsouth (John Deere) where he was able to gain a vast knowledge of the technological side of farming.

With Ashby’s knowledge on technology and farming equipment as well as Mikaela’s hand-on life experiences, the duo has quickly made their little farm in a 400-acre peanut and cotton business. Both graduating from the Peanut Leadership Academy in 2019, both hold a desire to continue learning and thriving about the industry and crops, especially peanuts. As for the future, the Massey’s plans include “Steadily growing each year and preparing the farm for the next generation, [their children] Abby Lynn and Hilton.”

Congratulations to the Massey family!

PHOTO CUTLINE: Farm Credit Rep. Logan Chappell presents a plaque to Mikaela and Ashby Massey.

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