William Brown Family Of Walnut Hill Wins Escambia County Farm Family Award

October 25, 2024

The William C. Brown Family has been name the Escambia County Farm Bureau’s Farm Family Award.

Farming is the in blood of William and Jean Norris Brown, owners of a 740 acre Walnut Hill tree farm. The timber on Narrow Gap Tree Farm is primarily longleaf pines with some stands of hardwoods scattered and along the natural spring-fed branches that run through the property.

The crops produced include long range timber production, annual pine straw harvesting, and pine seed harvested during the bumper cone crop cycles. Bill developed a freezer system for storing pine seeds for up to 20 years while maintaining their viability.

Bill is always creating some remarkable invention to improve his farming equipment and processes. He intensively farms the longleaf pines by fertilization, mowing, pesticide application, pruning, and controlled burning. His farmed five-year-old longleaf pines reach heights of 15 feet compared to unfarmed five-year-old longleaf pines that not appear to be much more than grass.

Bill and Jean both graduated from Ernest Ward High School, where Bill was a football player and president of Future Farmers of America. Jean was a cheerleader, which became a vital role she has played in every aspect of their life together. Bill received a bachelor of science degree in business administration, with a minor in Economics, from the Universityof Southern Mississippi. Jean received a bachelor of arts degree in English from Florida State University.

They were married in 1963 and moved to Newport, Rhode Island, where Bill was stationed in the Navy. After Bill got out of the military, they moved to Pensacola where Bill worked for Gulf Power and Jean taught high school English. They have two children, Jennifer and Billy, and four grandsons ranging in age from sixth grade through college junior.

In 1977, Bill and Jean founded Air Design Systems, an HVAC and mechanical contracting company in Pensacola.

Bill always wanted to own some property, and in 1984 they got the opportunity to purchase their original 530 acres of timber land, known as Narrow Gap, just three miles from his parent’s homestead where he grew up.

Pictured: Escambia County Farm Bureau board member Jack Livingston presents the Farm Family Award to Bill and Jean Brown. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

4 Responses to “William Brown Family Of Walnut Hill Wins Escambia County Farm Family Award”

  1. John Hendrix on October 25th, 2024 6:10 pm

    Y’all get an “atta boy” for the commitment.

  2. Terry Aulger on October 25th, 2024 1:47 pm

    Well-deserved recognition for a wonderful family and an amazing farm!

  3. Susie on October 25th, 2024 10:30 am

    Love this story. This family is precious, contributing in every way to keep God’s Country alive and well. God bless them.

  4. Lou on October 25th, 2024 7:38 am

    Congratulations to Bill & Jean! Great local story and family.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News