[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17978]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE MORRIS FAMILY AS THE 2011 WASHINGTON COUNTY OUTSTANDING 
                        FARM FAMILY OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2011

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to 
rise today to recognize the Jerry Morris family for being selected as 
the 2011 Washington County, Florida Outstanding Farm Family of the 
Year.
  Jerry, son of Arvel and Ethel Morris and one of nine children, is a 
fourth generation farmer. He found his passion for love and farming in 
the middle of cotton country of Cherokee County in northeast Alabama 
along the Coosa River. In 1981, Jerry moved to Florida and bought a 
farm south of Chipley. It was here, where he found his second and most 
important love, Lynell Kellum, a local farm girl from Jackson County 
who he married in 1989.
  Just north of Chipley, Lynell grew up and learned to drive a tractor 
pulling watermelon wagons through the field and fed the family's 
livestock. After working at the Bank of Jackson County for 39 years, 
she now enjoys farming with Jerry full time, along with cooking and 
canning, making jelly and sewing.
  Jerry and Lynell both work hard to embrace new technologies, new 
varieties and better production practices. After becoming interested in 
no-till planting, they bought a rip-strip planter. It proved to be 
successful for planting corn and soybeans. This method prevented 
erosion and left ground cover to hold moisture. They started planting 
twin-row peanuts 10 years ago and made better production. They found 
this to be successful and implemented planting his soybeans in twin-
rows.
  Just this year, they planted 239 acres of peanuts, 128 acres of corn, 
and 234 acres of soybeans. Jerry has become known as one of the top 
corn producers in Washington County.
  Aside from the farm and their love for the outdoors, Jerry and Lynell 
are members of the Washington and Florida Cattlemen's Association, 
Florida Peanut Producers Association, and enjoy spending time singing 
in the choir at Piney Grove Freewill Baptist Church and spending time 
with their family. Jerry and Lynell have four gown children and five 
grandchildren: Alan Kellum and wife Diane, who have two sons live in 
Nicholasville, Kentucky; Amy Hatcher, husband, Clint, and son, Logan, 
of Wicksburg, Alabama; Ladonna Kellum of Graceville, Florida; and 
Saranda Headland and husband, Austin, who have two daughters and live 
in Dothan, Alabama.
  Mr. Speaker, our great nation was built by farmers and their 
families. The Washington County Outstanding Farm Family of the Year 
award is a reflection of the Morris family's tireless work and love of 
farming. On behalf of the United States Congress, I would like to offer 
my congratulations to the Morris family for this great accomplishment. 
My wife Vicki and I wish them the best for continued success.

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