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Jerry Hamill has been successfully and profitably producing cotton in North Carolina for more 52 years so he must be doing something right.
That’s one clear take away from the many cotton industry peers who nominated Hamill for the 2021 High Cotton Award for the Southeast; he does all he can to produce the best crops he can with the goal of perfection. His peers know that Hamill does things right, which has been the key to his success in both the good years and lean years.
Because of his success as a cotton producer and in recognition for his steadfast commitment to the cotton industry throughout his farming career, Jerry Lee Hamill of Enfield, N.C., is the 2021 High Cotton Winner for the Upper Southeast.
David Ruppenicker, CEO of Southern Cotton Growers, summarized it well when he noted in his nomination letter that Jerry Hamill “epitomizes every virtue for which this prestigious award was founded upon.”
“He has been extremely successful and continues to produce bountiful cotton crops in a very efficient, sustainable manner. A strong supporter of conservation programs, he is always willing to incorporate new technologies and cultural practices into his family farm operation,” Ruppenicker wrote in nominating Hamill.
“Jerry is always willing to share his knowledge and experiences with his fellow growers. Leaving the land in pristine conditions for future generations is the ultimate goal,” Ruppenicker wrote.
First crop in 1968
Hamill produced his first cotton crop on his own in 1968 after graduating from the Ag Institute at North Carolina State University in Raleigh in 1965. Jerry took over full-time operation of the family farm after his father Eugene Hamill died in September 1967.
Certainly, through those years Hamill has seen many changes in farming. Hamill makes it clear that you must adapt to the change to stay in business. And adapt he has, with remarkable success.
“I want everything right. I want it as near perfect as we can do it. I don’t like anything halfway done. If you’re going to take the time, the initiative and the funds to do anything then let’s do it correct and to the best of your ability,” Hamill said.
That summarizes Hamill’s philosophy of successful farming, an approach that has clearly worked...