SALUTE - To Those Who Serve Veterans Magazine 2020 | Page 19

Cattle are seen in the Battleground community . Photo by Amanda Shavers .

Agriculture In

Cullman County

Kyle Morris at his farm in Cullman County . Photo by Amanda Shavers .
By Amy Henderson

The early settlers of what would become Cullman

County came to farm the land . Today , farming remains a top industry in Cullman County . But it ' s not your great-great-grandfather ' s farming .
According to the Alabma Farm Federation , Cullman County agriculture and forestry generates upwards of $ 948 million annually , and ranks at the top in broiler and egg productions , cattle production and fruits and vegetables . In 2018 , Cullman County ranked second in the state for total agriculture production and in sweet potato acreage .
Among Cullman ' s 2,000-plus farmers are families that have been producing food for America for generations . Haynes Farm is one of those . Darrell and Lydia Haynes both come from farming families that pre-date Cullman County .
Those early farmers probably wouldn ' t recognize the farm of today . Not only has it grown in size - not just in land but in production - the tools used are far more advanced .
With the advent of technology , farming has gotten more efficient and is more data-driven , cutting expenses and producing greater yields . “ The technology that we use , it ’ s pretty amazing .” said Darrell Haynes .
Cullman ' s growers are also innovators . Jeremy Calvert
Salute 2020 19