2022 Precision Ag Farmer Of The Year

   William Mead Hardwick of Newellton, Louisiana has been named the 2022 Precision Ag Farmer of the Year at the 25th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, the Southern Precision Ag Conference, the Southern Corn & Soybean Conference, and the Delta States Irrigation Conference.

   Hardwick earned an undergraduate degree in Finance from Methodist University. He is also a graduate of the Louisiana Master Farmer Program, which is a national model for the voluntary education and compliance with natural resource and environmental conservation. 

   Hardwick serves on the board of directors for Cotton Incorporated. He serves on the LA Cotton Inc State Support Committee which administers state cotton check-off fund for research projects.

   Hardwick is a fourth generation farmer on his family’s Somerset Plantation in northern Tensas Parish. Started in the 1920’s, currently the farm consists of 22,000 total acres, 12,000 cultivated, 3,000 in wetlands and the remaining acreage in managed timber. 

   Hardwick along with his younger brother and parents operate Hardwick Planting Company on 8,000 acres of Somerset land. Hardwick Planting Company was awarded the 2015 National Wetlands Award for Landowner Stewardship by the Environment Law Institute at the U.S. Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C. for its effort in blending production agriculture and conservation.

   Hardwick focuses on three main areas: Acquisition of late-model equipment to ensure that on-board systems are capable of data collection, information transfer to cloud-based servers and compatibility with site-specific prescription actions. Utilization of advanced technologies such as GPS & amp; RTK guidance, high-speed variable rate precision planters, variable rate input applicators, advanced yield monitors, grid soil sampling, soil moisture monitors, computerized hole selection for poly pipe irrigation and wireless data transmission from equipment. Hardwick Planting Company also uses farm business management and agronomic software platforms including MapShots AgStudio, Granular, Climate and MyJohnDeere to collect, store, analyze and develop site-specific solutions based upon within field variability.

   Hardwick has participated in multiple national organizations’ leadership programs, such as the National Cotton Council of America’s Producer Information Exchange Program. He is an alternate delegate on the board of Cotton Incorporated, as well as a member of the Carolina Cotton Growers Cooperative, Farmer’s Grain Cooperative, Tensas Cooperative Gin and the Louisiana Cotton & Grain Association.

   Hardwick has represented Cotton Council International in Asia. He traveled to different countries in Asia to present his family’s environmental and sustainability efforts to the representatives of the textile and apparel industries. Hardwicks presentations to Asian countries were very well received and left a great impression of U.S. agriculture.

   Said to have the sharpest pencil, Hardwick, has what it takes to survive in these markets. He has a passion for conservation yet is able to embrace new technologies that will be even more important for survival in the future. ∆