Haynes Farm in Alabama: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Haynes Farm in Fairview, Cullman County, was named Alabama's 2023 Farm of Distinction by the Alabama Farm-City Committee on April 13, 2023. It combines roughly 4,000 acres of pasture and 1,500 acres of row crops with a calf backgrounding program, and the family is raising the seventh generation on the land.
| Location | Fairview, Cullman County, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Sectors | Beef cattle (weaning and backgrounding); corn; soybeans; wheat |
| Scale | About 4,000 acres of pasture and 1,500 acres of row crops, as reported by The Cullman Tribune |
| Why it is elite | Named Alabama's 2023 Farm of Distinction; Alabama's entrant in the Southeastern Farmer of the Year contest at the Sunbelt Ag Expo |
| Generations | Seventh generation now being raised on the farm |
| Ownership | Family operation led by Darrel and Lydia Haynes with sons Ben and Bart |
| Official website | Cullman Tribune report on the 2023 Farm of Distinction award |
History of Haynes Farm
Haynes Farm is a multi-generation family operation in Cullman County, in the northern part of Alabama. Local reporting on the 2023 award says the family is now raising the seventh generation on the farm, which makes it one of the longest-running commercial operations in the area. Darrel and Lydia Haynes lead the business today and farm alongside their sons, Ben and Bart. Ben and his wife Whitney have six children, so the next generation is already visible on the farm.
The farm earned statewide attention in April 2023, when the Alabama Farm-City Committee named it the state's Farm of Distinction at the Alabama Farm-City Awards in Birmingham. The program is run in connection with the Alabama Farmers Federation and recognizes farms for production, management and stewardship. As the state winner, the Haynes family went on to represent Alabama in the Southeastern Farmer of the Year contest at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia, that fall. The family has said land stewardship is a priority, and Lydia Haynes also serves on the Alabama Farmers Federation State Women's Committee.
What Haynes Farm Grows and Raises
The cattle side of the farm is built around weaning and backgrounding calves. Haynes Farm sells 800 to 900 pound feeder calves in load lots to feed yards north and west of the farm. Selling uniform calves in truckload groups is a common way for a larger Southeastern cow-calf or stocker business to earn buyer attention and a better price than selling small groups at a local auction. The roughly 4,000 acres of pasture support that herd, and winter feed cattle are grazed on some of the cropland.
The row crop side covers about 1,500 acres. Reporting describes the rotation as roughly one third corn, one third full-season soybeans and one third wheat, with wheat followed by soybeans in the same year. Some acres are planted to a summer crop after grazing winter feed cattle. This blend of grain, double-crop soybeans and grazing spreads weather and price risk across several enterprises and keeps equipment and labor busy through more of the calendar.
How Haynes Farm Makes Money
Feeder calf sales
The farm's cattle income comes from weaned and backgrounded feeder calves sold in load lots to feed yards. The farm adds weight and value after weaning rather than selling lightweight calves, and truckload-size groups give buyers an efficient purchase.
Grain and oilseed sales
Corn, full-season soybeans and wheat followed by double-crop soybeans are the farm's row crop products. Selling several commodities, harvested at different times, reduces dependence on any single price or growing season.
Grazing the cropland
Winter feed cattle graze some of the cropland, and a summer crop may follow. This puts the same acres to work twice, so the cattle enterprise and the crop enterprise support each other.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Haynes Farm
The first lesson is diversification that actually shares resources. Haynes Farm does not run cattle and crops as separate businesses; grazing winter cattle on cropland and then planting a summer crop connects the two, which can improve land use and spread risk. Operators with both pasture and tillable ground can look at similar integration, with guidance from their county Extension agent.
The second lesson is to sell at a scale that buyers value. Backgrounding calves to a heavier weight and marketing them in load lots is a marketing choice as much as a production choice. Finally, the family's emphasis on stewardship and its multi-generation focus show how an award-winning farm can plan for succession by bringing the next generation into real roles.
Few farms can say that a seventh generation is already learning to read a feed-yard bid, and the Haynes family seems to have the barn-door conversation figured out. If you like your farm satire served with a side of respect, stop by farm.FM, where the farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes poke fun at the daily grind without ever turning on the people who do it. Somewhere in Cullman County a tractor is probably running late, and we say that with affection.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
How to Contact Haynes Farm
Website: https://cullmantribune.com/?p=95133
No operation phone, address or email is printed in the sources used for this page, so none is listed. The website link points to a published award report, not an official farm site. Confirm any visit or business inquiry through the Alabama Farmers Federation or local county Extension office.
Haynes Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Haynes Farm named 2023 Farm of Distinction - Local news report on the award and the farm
- Alabama Farmers Federation Farm of Distinction - Federation coverage of the Farm of Distinction program
- Alabama Extension farm management - Auburn and Alabama A&M Extension farm business resources
- USDA NASS Alabama 2022 Census of Agriculture - State-level farm numbers and sales
- USDA Farmers.gov - Federal programs, loans and conservation help for farmers
Haynes Farm FAQ
What is Haynes Farm known for?
Haynes Farm in Fairview, Alabama, was named Alabama's 2023 Farm of Distinction. It raises and backgrounds beef calves and grows corn, soybeans and wheat.
How big is Haynes Farm?
The Cullman Tribune reported about 4,000 acres of pasture and 1,500 acres of row crops.
Is Haynes Farm open to visitors?
No visitor program was found in the sources used for this page. Contact the Alabama Farmers Federation or Cullman County Extension before assuming a tour is possible.
Who runs Haynes Farm?
Darrel and Lydia Haynes lead the farm with their sons Ben and Bart, with a seventh generation now growing up on the land.
Haynes Farm shows how a Cullman County family can combine feeder calves, grain and grazing into one durable business. Read the Alabama farms guide for the state context, programs and other profiled operations.