LOUISVILLE, KY (Nov. 7, 2024) – Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) today announced that Alex and Sarah Richardson of Meade County have been selected as its Outstanding Young Farm Family for 2024. They will be presented with the award during the organization’s annual meeting in December.  

The annual KFB Outstanding Young Farm Family award recognizes an individual or couple under the age of 35 who demonstrates strong farm management skills, active involvement in both KFB and their community, and consistent financial growth through their farm. 

The Richardson both have deep roots in their local farming community. Sarah Richardson is a fourth-generation Meade countian who grew up on her family farm and returned home after earning her bachelor’s degree in business to run her family’s independent retail lumber/hardware business, where she still works as assistant manager. 

Alex Richardson grew up on his family’s multigenerational farm, which was founded in 1809. He returned to his hometown of Brandenburg after college to work in banking and farm part time, then decided to return to the family farm full time in 2015. Now, he said, “I cannot imagine doing anything else but farm; it is in my DNA.”

The Richardsons’ farming operations started with 15 acres of alfalfa, 10 feeder calves and five cows about 17 years ago. Since then, it has grown to include nearly 3,000 acres of corn and soybeans, 650 acres of wheat and 250 head of beef cattle. “I have been able to gradually grow our operation,” said Alex Richardson. “I didn’t want to grow exponentially too quickly. I wanted to make sure I could respectfully maintain what I had.”

Seeing a need to ensure another local farm stays in active production, the Richardsons entered into a partnership with a neighboring farmer in 2022 who was nearing retirement but did not have a successor. When the elder farmer retires, the Richardsons will add 1,000 acres to their operation.

Alex Richardson is responsible for all management decisions related to the couple’s farm, including input purchases, commodities marketing, labor management, crop rotation, breeding and more. A true partner, Sarah Richardson handles the majority of the farm’s accounting and fiscal management, assists with human resources, and handles other duties as needed. 

One of the reasons the Richardsons’ farm has grown and thrived has been their focus on efficiency and creative solutions to maximize their yield, diversify their income sources and control expenses. Their future plans include continued strategic growth to ensure the farm will be sustainable for the next generation. “We strive to find more ways to diversify our operation so that it will remain viable even during unforeseen events such as market downturns, droughts, disease outbreaks and more,” said Alex Richardson.

Ultimately, the Richardsons’ greatest ambition is to do their part to help secure the legacy of agriculture production. “We believe education is absolutely vital for the American farmer to continue to be able to feed the world,” said Alex Richardson. “We are passionate about letting the world know how hard farmers work and what it takes to create a safe and abundant food supply.”

The Richardsons will be recognized at the KFB Annual Meeting in Louisville in December. They will represent Kentucky in the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award contest held during the 2025 AFBF Annual Convention in San Antonio, TX in January.