Feb 15, 2024

Vegetable grower named 2024 Outstanding Young Farmer

Byron DuBois, a Salem County, New Jersey, vegetable and grain grower, is New Jersey’s 2024 Outstanding Young Farmer.

DuBois and his wife, Karen, are also one of 10 finalists for the 2024 National Outstanding Young Farmer Award, which will be awarded at the National Outstanding Young Farmer Congress on Feb. 15-18 in Ferndale, Washington.

Chosen by the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture, they were recognized at the Joint State Agricultural Convention Banquet in early February.

“The DuBois family has a storied history in New Jersey’s agricultural industry and Byron has done exemplary work in continuing a generations-long legacy,” Joe Atchison III, New Jersey assistant secretary of agriculture, said in a news release. “Byron’s ability and willingness to use innovative, efficient, and environmentally friendly practices has allowed Spring Brook Farms to continue as one of the outstanding operations in the State.”

Byron is a seventh-generation farmer and learned many intricacies of the business from his father, Henry. By the time he was a teenager, Byron was operating equipment for spinach harvest, combining grain, and harvesting green beans. In his high school years, Byron played a significant role in purchasing equipment as his parents would drive him to dealers to inspect machinery or equipment before purchasing. Byron then attended Delaware Valley College where he studied Agricultural Business Management.

It was there that he met other students with agricultural backgrounds and learned about different methods of farming.

“All I have ever wanted to do is farm,” Byron said in the release. “It runs through my veins, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else as it is a passion and a love that I get to experience every day of my life with my family by my side.”

The primary crops grown on the more than 4,000 acres owned by Byron and his father include spinach (carryover, spring, fall and winter), sweet corn, tomatoes, field corn, soybeans and wheat.

“Every season creates a new opportunity to start fresh, plant seeds to grow crops and nurture them through harvest time,” Byron said. “That hard, honest, and sometimes thankless work that goes into every season provides immeasurable rewards that fuel my appetite for farming.”

Throughout the years, Byron has led the farm’s efforts to become more efficient in many facets of the operation. This includes upgrading equipment for quicker spinach and tomato harvests, and using GPS technology for more precise planting, harvesting and treatment methods. The farm also uses detailed mapping information to find specific soil types in fields, which in turn has led to more economical use of fertilizers and irrigation.

The DuBois farm participates in the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and Natural Resources Conservation Service Irrigation Water Management Programs that have helped reduce soil erosion, allowing water to drain from fields without soil disturbance.

Byron also points out that Karen does more than her share to help the farm’s success, even though she is a full-time elementary school teacher at the local elementary school.

“Karen is an incredibly supportive wife in every aspect,” Byron said. “She is always willing to lend a hand on the farm, whether it is helping my mother prepare meals for the team working late, working on the tomato harvester, driving the dump cart for harvesting spinach, moving equipment around or just being there when I need her.”

The DuBois farm is active in the community. In addition to volunteering the use of its water tanker trailer at the Salem County Fair each year, it has hosted a Salem County Emergency Management farm safety event, and drills for local fire departments where they can practice by cutting apart old farm equipment. The farm is also a corporate sponsor for the local Little League and supports the Salem County 4-H Club.

Byron’s father Henry received the same award, as Henry DuBois was the New Jersey Outstanding Young Farmer in 1983.

The Outstanding Young Farmer program is the oldest farmer recognition program in the U.S., with the first group of national winners selected in 1955. The goals of the program are to foster better urban-rural relations through the understanding of farmers’ challenges, as well as the appreciation of their contributions and achievements; to bring about a greater interest in farmers/ranchers; and to help build an urban awareness of the farmers’ importance and impact on America’s economy.

The Outstanding Young Farmer program encourages a greater interest in agriculture and recognizes local citizens’ contributions. The National OYF program is sponsored by Deere & Company, administered by the Outstanding Farmers of America Fraternity, and supported by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, the National Association of Conservation Districts and the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on the State’s Outstanding Young Farmer program, visit www.nj.gov/agriculture/about/sba/cover.html or contact Atchison at [email protected].