Nacogdoches County Agriculture Committee – Award Announcement

Media Contact: Kelly Daniel
Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce
936-560-5533
business@nactx.com

Jimmy Scott named Pete Smith Agriculture Pioneer of the Year
by John Boyette, District Forester III, Texas A&M Forest Service

Jimmy Scott is a quiet, modest man who has accomplished much and given back to his community even more. Jimmy was born and raised on a cotton farm in the Winter Hill community near Douglass along with his eleven brothers and sisters. He graduated from the C.L. Simon High School in Cushing, married his high school sweetheart Willie and moved to Dallas to begin his career with General Motors.

Although he lived and worked in Dallas, many of the neighbors in Winter Hill thought he still lived there because he came back so often to help out on the family farm.

After retiring from GM, Jimmy moved back to Nacogdoches in 1995 to raise cows. In 2000, he bought another 100 acre tract and started planting trees.

Jimmy hired his cousin to ride in the tree planter, and Jimmy drove the tractor. Together, they planted about 40,000 loblolly pine seedlings.

Today, Jimmy’s tree farm is a showpiece that is often used as an example of how tree farming should be done. He has personally conducted a number of tours for other landowners and tree farmers. The most recent was a workshop hosted by Prairie View A&M for minority landowners in which Jimmy led the tour.

Jimmy can often be found on his tree farm clearing fence lines, maintaining fire breaks, or improving his road system. He modestly said, “I like it to look nice.”

Jimmy is a member of the Douglass Fire Board, the Angelina/Nacogdoches Counties Forest Landowners Association Board of Directors, the Deacon Board at Scott Temple Church of Christ, and the Texas Small Farmer and Ranchers/CBO Board of Directors. Jimmy is a Certified Tree Farmer through the American Tree Farm System and a Certified Forest Steward through Texas A&M Forest Service.
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The Nacogdoches County Agriculture Committee will honor Jimmy Scott as the Pete Smith Agriculture Pioneer of the Year at the Agriculture Appreciation & Awareness Banquet on Monday, April 11 at the Nacogdoches County Exposition & Civic Center. The award is sponsored by Heritage Land Bank. Other 2016 award recipients are: Farm Family of the Year John & Cathy Kirk Family (Sponsor: Tipton Ford Lincoln); Agribusiness of the Year Boles Feed Nacogdoches, LLC (Sponsor: First Bank & Trust East Texas); and Ag Educator of the Year Warner Wilson (Sponsor: Citizens 1st Bank). Gary and Sue Atkins Agricultural Scholarship Awards will also be presented to Nacogdoches County students

Banquet tables and tickets are available. Contact the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce at 936-560-5533 for details. The event begins at 6 p.m., dinner sponsored by Mast Cattle & Timber Investments begins at 6:30 p.m., and the program with keynote speaker Roy O. Martin III of Roy O. Martin Lumber Company is at 7 p.m.