Jacob Bembry: Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Kelley R. Bailey Family was named the Outstanding Farm Family of the Year for Madison County at the Farm Bureau banquet held in the autumn of 1960.
Kelley, his wife, Mary, and 13-year-old daughter, Norma Jean (Jeanie) lived on a 110-acre farm two miles from Sirmans.
Kelley, a native of Madison County, lived in the same house where he was born on the Bailey homestead. The home was a six-frame wood home, equipped with modern appliances. Mary kept a vegetable garden, large enough to supply their table needs. She made their preserves.
Jeanie attended school in Greenville and participated in 4-H. Suffering from the effects of rheumatic fever, she was forced to drop out of almost all activities, except her school work.
The Bailey farm had 50 tillable acres in 1960, with 2.33 of them dedicated to tobacco, which was the major cash crop for the Baileys.
An additional 30 acres of corn was grown on the farm, along with 54 acres reserved for timber growing and harvesting. Winter cereal grain crops were grown for grazing the farm’s 65 hogs and eight cows.
The Baileys kept cows for their own milk supply and chickens for eggs and for eating. The family’s meat was provided by the beef cattle and the hogs they owned.
The corn crop averaged approximately 40 bushels to the acre and the tobacco crop averaged about 2,000 pounds to the acre.
The Baileys were honored at Allfriend Hall on Friday, Oct. 28, at an event sponsored by The Tallahassee Democrat, the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, and the North Florida Fair Association.