Field to Family: St. Landry Parish Producer Named Louisiana Farm Bureau Outstanding Young Farm Woman

By Kristen Oaks-White

Louisiana Farm Bureau

A St. Landry Parish sugarcane and cattle producer is this year’s Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Outstanding Young Farm Woman. 

Courtney Gerace, 34, received the award at the Louisiana Farm Bureau’s 103rd Annual Convention in New Orleans on June 26, 2025. Gerace and her husband, Nicholas, operate a diverse farming operation in Melville, Louisiana, where they raise sugarcane, cattle, and five young children. 

L-R: Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair Nicholas Gerace, Outstanding Young Farm Woman Courtney Gerace and Louisiana Farm Bureau President Richard Fontenot.

Gerace didn’t grow up on a farm, but she said her heart has always belonged to agriculture. 

“I had no idea the lasting lessons I’d derive from livestock judging, public speaking, and showing horses,” Gerace said. “Then I married my husband. He has farmed his whole life, and I know why—no matter how you arrive at it, if farming is in you. It’s in you.” 

Today, Gerace plays a hands-on role in nearly every aspect of their operation—from feeding livestock and processing calves to baling hay and hauling equipment. She also manages much of the paperwork, decision-making, and daily logistics for the farm, all while homeschooling their children. 

“My contributions are centered on doing what is necessary to be the best resource to my husband as his coworker and partner in life,” Gerace said. “Farming takes dedication in the field, out of the field, and on Capitol Hill.  Between the crops, the cows, and our five kids, there is constant growth.” 

In addition to her role on the farm, Gerace is an active leader in her parish and state Farm Bureau. She serves on the Louisiana Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee and the State Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. She’s also been a finalist in both the Discussion Meet and the Achievement Award contests in recent years. 

“Farm Bureau has empowered me to be part of something much bigger than myself and my farm,” she said. “And my family gets to take the journey with me.” 

2025 Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Outstanding Young Farm Woman Courtney Gerace.

As the 2025 Outstanding Young Farm Woman Award winner, Gerace received a $2,000 cash award from the Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, a trip to the American Farm Bureau YF&R Leadership Conference in Portland, Oregon, a $500 cash award from Bayer, and two $250 cash awards courtesy of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and Louisiana Farm Bureau Insurance Companies.