Whitey Hunt began working on and managing his family’s Hereford operation in 1972 and now owns and operates Innisfail Farm in Madison, Ga., with his wife, Lyn. Partnering with his son, Weyman, they breed 90-120 females and implant approximately 150 embryos annually for fall calving. Bulls are primarily marketed through The Source Bull Sale in Georgia and the bull test programs of Clemson University, the University of Florida, and the Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association. They are sold private treaty as well. Steers are run through the Georgia Beef Challenge, a venture which feeds out and sells steers on the rail and collects harvest data. An average of 60 females are sold annually through private treaty; however, the Hunts have set a goal to host a production sale in 2021. In addition to the cattle operation at Innisfail, Whitey and Weyman own and operate Godfrey’s Warehouse and Georgia Fertilizer, established in the 1870s.

A native of Madison, Whitey received a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science with a minor in agronomy from the University of Georgia. He is a former board member and president of the Georgia Hereford Association (GHA) and regularly attends American Hereford Association (AHA) annual meetings. Innisfail participates in the GHA Georgia’s Finest Hereford Sale and other state sales regularly. As youngsters, Whitey’s sons, Robbs (Johanna) and Weyman (Ashley), showed Hereford heifers in 4-H cattle projects. The next generation of Hunts is looking to carry on the tradition, as two of Whitey’s five grandsons recently began their show careers showing Herefords through 4-H. The family participates in shows ranging from state shows to the Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) and other national shows. Innisfail has donated, loaned and sold heifers to be shown by other youth exhibitors.

Innisfail Farm has been recognized for its outstanding work throughout the years and has been named the Georgia Tree Farm of the Year (1992), the Georgia Cattlemen Purebred Breeder of the Year (1997), and the Morgan County Piedmont Soil and Water Conservation District Conservationist-of-the-Year (2015). Godfrey’s Warehouse received the Madison-Morgan Chamber of Commerce Business Legend Award (2009) and the Atlanta Farmers Club Agribusiness of the Year Award (1994).

Whitey is also very active in his community and has served as a church elder of the Madison Presbyterian Church and as a member of the Madison City Council. He is on the Bank of Madison board of directors and chairs the bank’s audit committee. He has been a founding member and leader of the Green Morgan Forest Landowners Association, the Madison-Morgan Conservancy and the Morgan County Cattlemen’s Association. He also has served as a regional vice-president of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association.