The Kentucky Farm Bureau has named the finalists for the 2025 Farmer of the Year—and one of them is right out of Hopkins County.
The Farmer of the Year award recognizes an individual for their outstanding agriculture operations, along with their leadership and community service both on and off the farm. The three finalists this year at Mark Metcalfe of Hopkins County, Scott Porter of Mason County and Mike Wilson of Anderson County.Â
Those finalists were selected following an intense, rigorous application process and the winner will be announced in October.
Mark Metcalfe is a Hopkins County farmer who operates Metcalfe Florist and Pleasant View Greenhouses in Madisonville, alongside his wife Penny. Operations include 20 wholesale greenhouses, a garden center, commercial landscaping business, and a florist and gift shop located on about 100 acres.
Porteroperates Springdale Stock Farms LLC on 1,775 acres of pastureland in Maysville. A full-time cattleman, his 900-head commercial beef cow herd is bred to high-quality Angus bulls to produce top-tier steers and replacement females. Over the last five years, he has reduced the scale of his business to focus solely on his own cow-calf herd.
Wilson operates Whispering Hills Farm, a commercial beef cattle and hay production farm on more than 250 acres in Lawrenceburg. He has strategically expanded his farm over the years, acquiring adjacent land and purchasing dedicated hay fields in neighboring Franklin County. Further expansion in the early 2000s allowed him to increase his cattle herd while also contributing to the preservation of agricultural land in the area.