The Arizona Farm and Ranch Museum & Hall announced four Arizona agriculturists will be inducted into the Arizona Farm and Ranch Hall of Fame this year. Several inductees are members of the Arizona Farm Bureau.

Inductees from the Murphree and Rogers families also have a long history of membership and involvement in the Arizona Farm Bureau. Formerly President of the Arizona Farm Bureau, Kevin Rogers will be recognized posthumously. 

The Latest Induction Class includes: 

  • John and Francis Aleman – Sheep ranchers, Buckeye and Williams. 
  • Murphree Family – Farmers, Maricopa, Pinal County (First-generation farming occurred in Chandler, Maricopa County).
  • Kevin Rogers – Posthumous. Farmer, Laveen, Maricopa County.
  • Wear Family – Horse and cattle ranchers, Willcox, Cochise County.

 

Families will be recognized and awarded during the 17th Annual Farm and Ranch Hall of Fame Induction Dinner on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at the Wigwam Resort and Spa in Litchfield Park, Arizona. The dinner will celebrate the significant work of these hardworking farmers and ranchers who have played a pivotal role in Arizona’s agricultural history. 

 

The Process

Five nominations were received and sent by email on September 15, 2023, to the following judges: Leatta McLaughlin Jimenez, W. K. Ryan Sr., Voniece Nix, Nicole Clements, and Joe Zuccaro.

The AZFAR Hall of Fame judges unanimously selected all five nominations as worthy candidates to be inducted into the AZFAR Hall of Fame due to their extended careers in farming and ranching in Arizona. 

Friends, relatives, and colleagues are encouraged to nominate future farm and ranch families they feel are worthy of recognition. To submit an application and endorsement letters go to their website: https://www.azfarmandranch.org/. 

 

About: Arizona Farm and Ranch Museum & Hall of Fame (AZFAR), originally known as Arizona Farm and Ranch Experience is a 501(c)3 governed by a volunteer board of directors representing the farm and ranch communities throughout Arizona. First established in 2007 with the first call for nominations, AZFAR relies on and is grateful for the generous contributions of its faithful supporters. The first Honorees were Steve Bales – Buckeye, Jim Hauser – St Johns, Chuck Lakin – Avondale, Cecil Miller - Litchfield Park, Jim Brown – Tonto Basin, Emil Rovey – Glendale, and Ronald Wood – Goodyear. Since then, the Hall of Fame has honored 121 individuals from the Navajo Nation to Douglas, Safford to Parker, and all places in between.

 

About Arizona Farm Bureau: The Arizona Farm Bureau is a member-driven, grassroots organization dedicated to preserving and improving the Arizona agriculture industry through member involvement in advocacy, outreach, education, programs, and services. The organization has nearly 30,000 member families. Go to www.azfb.org to learn more about Arizona agriculture.