FARM RAISED|FARM PROUD Andrew Taylor, Walton County Farm Bureau

First generation farmer Andrew Taylor represents counties within District One on the Florida Farm Bureau State Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Group. Taylor is also a board member of the Walton County Farm Bureau and an instrumental supporter of agriculture in his community.

Taylor was born into a military family and spent a lot of time traveling across the rural southeastern U.S. countryside. When Taylor was just nine years old, he knew he wanted to be a farmer when he grew up.

“I remember looking out the car window as a kid at different farms and farmland and I just knew I wanted to be a part of it,” Taylor said. Taylor began his agricultural career in 2011 and currently farms peanuts, soybeans and a commercial cow-calf herd of cattle in Walton County, Florida and Covington County, Alabama.

He also grows various crops to maintain his herd such as oats, ryegrass, millet and hay and utilizes local grain byproducts such as wet brewers grain and peanut hulls to help supplement his cattle and crops.

Each August, Taylor is proud to support one of the largest gatherings in the community, the Walton County Farm Bureau annual meeting (this year’s meeting is scheduled for the 11). “We try to get as many members as possible to attend and recruit new members,” Taylor said.

The evening is catered with delicious food and entertainment is provided by local 4-H and FFA students who are eager to show off their accomplishments.

Taylor explains that being part of an organization like Farm Bureau is unlike anything he has ever experienced. “The people and the comradery are what make Farm Bureau so special,” he said. “Farming is my passion; it’s what I wake up every morning for.

“Every day is different and I learn something new all the time,” he stated. “There is nothing else I’d rather do.”

Taylor jokes that his favorite recipe is boiled peanuts. “I use saltwater and put some peanuts in it, that’s it.”