The Cornetts of Cornett Farms — The Independence County Farm Family of the Year (Image provided by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service)
Mark and Becky Cornett and their family have been selected as Independence County’s 2026 Farm Family of the Year, earning a place in one of Arkansas agriculture’s longest-running recognition programs.
The Cornetts, who operate Cornett Farms on Heber Springs Road near Locust Grove, were chosen to represent Independence County in the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program, now in its 79th year.
The couple has three daughters — Riley, 26; Annalize, 23; and Laiken, 19.
County honorees advance to district judging, with farm visits scheduled June 1–4. District winners then compete for the state title, with state judging visits set for July 27–31. The overall Arkansas Farm Family of the Year will be recognized at a luncheon Dec. 11.
The state winner earns the right to represent Arkansas as a candidate for Southeastern Farmer of the Year at the Swisher Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Ga., in October.
The Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program has recognized farm families statewide since 1947.
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