Windy Hills Farm, Madison County
Joe Peavy and his family own and operate Windy Hills Farm in Madison, Florida. The land was a former dairy farm before Mr. Peavy bought the land and brought in cattle in 1976. Mr. Peavy has been implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) on the farm for nearly four decades. BMPs are a set of guidelines that advise producers on how to manage the water, nutrient, and pesticides they are using to reduce agriculture’s impact on the state’s natural resources. Windy Hills Farm uses a rotational grazing method for the cattle to manage forage and invasive species. Mr. Peavy has taken proactive steps to fertilize and mow the land during the right time. He also rotates the mineral feeders to minimize erosion throughout the land. Mr. Peavy is actively involved in his local community, serving as sheriff of Madison County for 28 years and a member of the American Legion. He was previously president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, Lions Club, the Masons and the Shriners. Along with being a member of the Farm Bureau, Mr. Peavy and his family attend First Baptist Church of Mason where he serves as a Deacon. When asked why he is a farmer who CARES, Peavy responded, “to leave our land better than the way we found it and for future generations like our children to use it.”
