Aaron and Jamie Lee named 2024 Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award Winners

Story by Neil Melancon & Kristen Oaks-White, Louisiana Farm Bureau 

NEW ORLEANS— Aaron and Jamie Lee of Vermilion Parish have been named the 2024 Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award Winners, the highest honor given by the Louisiana Farm Bureau to individual farmers each year. 
The Lees won the award during the organization’s 102nd Annual Convention in New Orleans, La. The young couple are sixth-generation sugarcane, livestock, rice, and crawfish farmers. 
Aaron Lee expressed pride in the win but credited his success to his family. 
“Over the past several years, I have begun transitioning from my dad’s helper to the one making the management decisions,” Aaron said. “I believe I have come a long way and I’m proud of the progress that I’ve made under my father’s guidance. He trusts me to make the decisions, but I still value his opinion and know that I can always go to him for advice.” 
The past year has been one of drought and deluge. Thunder rolled in the background as Jamie explained the source of the couple’s humility. 
“It humbles you to know that there’s only so much that you can control. You can do everything right and if the weather says that it’s just not the time, then it’s just not the time,” Jamie said. “And I feel like the drought this past summer is a perfect example of that. You really just have to have faith that everything’s going to work out. We wake up and we do our best every day and we know that that’s all we can do. So, the rest, we just give it to God.” 
Aaron added “Anytime a hurricane would come and push a storm surge on us, it would flood the pastures and pull our fences down. We just got kind of wore out from hauling all the cattle out and every time a storm comes, our cattle were getting further and further away from the place.” 
Two years ago, the Lees began growing sugarcane; something this family had not grown before. 
“We are really excited, and we are really proud of it because it is something that’s a little scary,” Jamie said. “You’re definitely taking a leap of faith, but we really think it’s going to be successful. We’ve done our homework on it and everyone in the sugarcane industry has been so helpful and so welcoming. They want to see us succeed in it. So, I think it’s going to go well. I think it’s exciting to have more to pass on to the next generation.” 
Aaron held the next generation in his arms as he looked out over his rice fields right behind their home. The Lees said they work hard to ensure this farm is sustainable for when their son Aaron Lee, Jr. is ready to take it over. 
“We have plans for our son and Aaron’s nephews to help carry on their family farm,” said Jamie. “That wouldn’t be possible if we weren’t being sustainable. So, while the word itself might be something new and trendy, what we are doing hasn’t changed. The technology might look a little different, but it’s all for the same goal of keeping our land healthy and using as few resources as possible.” 
The couple have also helped new generations from other families learn about agriculture. Jamie is an ag teacher and has used the Louisiana Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program to educate students about farming and ranching. 
“I really stress the importance of them understanding that American agriculture is a safe and sustainable food supply,” said Jamie. “There’s so much misinformation out there. I teach them that most farms in the United States are still family owned and that we all want the same thing. We all want to grow safe, healthy food for our families. We’re doing the best that we can. We are buying the produce and the rice and the sugar cane that we grow. That’s what we’re feeding our family. So, we wouldn’t feed you something that we wouldn’t feed our own family.” 
As winners of the 2024 YF&R Achievement Award, the Lees receive a prize package including a $35,000 cash prize credit toward the purchase of a truck, courtesy of the Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co., a trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio, Texas in Jan. 2025, courtesy of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, $250 courtesy of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and $250 from the Louisiana Farm Bureau Insurance Companies. 
The Lees will now go on to compete for the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award in January 2025 at the American Farm Bureau convention in San Antonio, Texas.