Local farmer Andrew Grimes and his family have been selected as a finalist for the Georgia Young Farmers Association's Farm Family of the Year. He's pictured with his wife, Lauren, and their three children, Drew, 5, Will, 3, and Mallory Jane, 1. They are expecting another son in November.

TIFTON, Ga. — Local farmer Andrew Grimes and his family have been selected as one of the four finalists for the Georgia Young Farmers Association’s Farm Family of the Year.

Grimes and his wife, Lauren, have three children, Drew, 5, Will, 3, and Mallory Jane, 1, and are expecting another son in November. They are members of Northside Baptist Church and Tift County Young Farmers.

Grimes serves on the Board of Directors for the Tift County Farm Bureau. He has been recognized as Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer by the Georgia Peanut Commission and BASF and Outstanding Young Producer by the Georgia Young Farmers Association.

Carl Nichols, Tift County Young Farmers advisor for the Grimes family, said the goal was to apply for the Farm Family of the Year award. Lauren said this award has a lot to do with the family being involved on the farm. She said she serves as food safety coordinator and their kids are very active on the farm as well.

To be selected as a finalist, Grimes was judged on his farming progress, farm safety, environmental awareness, records management, community service, Young Farmers involvement and other leadership activities.

Nichols said not only is he proud of Grimes but also because three of the four finalists are from south Georgia and the southwest Georgia district. He said the area is well represented.

At the end of this month, Grimes will be interviewed at the farm. The state winner will be announced at the State Young Farmer Convention in January in Savannah.

Grimes and Lauren are excited about this opportunity. Grimes said by being a finalist means he’s following in good footsteps from everything that his father taught him over the years and that he’s doing a good job.

Lauren added that this is an accomplishment and “something for our kids to look up to like Andrew did with his dad.”

Nichols said he’s proud to be showcasing a group from Tift County to the state of Georgia.

“It highlights Tift County agriculture as a whole,” he said.