The agriculture community is remembering the contributions of well-known farmer and entrepreneur Firmon Cook, III, who passed away Friday.
Cook grew up in a family with a long tradition of farming. He was the son of a sharecropper and grew up raising livestock, tobacco and row crops near Wallonia. Cook graduated from Trigg County High School in 1965 and from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture in 1969 with a degree in agronomy.
After serving in the army during the Vietnam War era, cook returned home to farm and aggressively pursued large scale farming. He always maintained a passion for quality farmland and soil conservation.
In 1976 Cook was named Kentucky Farm Bureau Young Farmer of the Year. He also served as President of the Kentucky Chapter of the American Ag Movement during the economic turmoil in the 1980’s. During that time, he made several trips to Washington, DC, to lobby for better agriculture policy.
He was also a pioneer in no-till farming techniques which allowed him to focus on protecting the land he was so fond of. Cook received the NRCS Master Conservationist Award in 2015.
In addition to his farming, Cook was a partner in Farm Crop Service, Cook Brothers Popcorn and Thomas Cayce Farm Supply.
Cook is survived by his wife Betty Brandon Cook, two sons, one daughter, four grandchildren and a number of other family members. Complete funeral arrangements can be found at wkdzradio.com and whvoradio.com.
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