The Dennis Wedgworth family was recently recognized by the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau as the 2024 Farm Family of the Year, awarded for their outstanding commitment to agriculture and community outreach.
Wedgworth Farms was founded in 1932 by Herman Wedgworth, the first plant pathologist at the Everglades Research and Education Center, along with his wife, Ruth Wedgworth, who later took over the management of all operations upon his early demise.
Dennis Wedgworth earned a mechanical engineering degree from Duke University and an MBA from the University of Florida. In 1975, he began working in the family business. Dennis now leads Wedgworth Farms and its sister company, Wedgworth’s Inc., and is in the process of completing his 50th year in farming and fertilizer. His commitment has always been to provide growers with innovative, premium products for increased ag production and profitability.
He and his wife Becky raised two daughters, Sarah and Katie, and now have five grandchildren.
Wedgworth Farms started in 1932 with 320 acres. Today it consists of 10,000 acres of prime muck land in the Glades and 10,000 acres of beautiful “old Florida” ranch land near Yeehaw Junction. Wedgworth’s Inc., the fertilizer mixing blending operation that Dennis’s grandfather started in a wheelbarrow, is now the largest fertilizer company in Florida and is highly regarded throughout the industry.
In addition to leading Wedgworth Farms and Wedgworth’s Inc., Dennis is on the board of directors of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative, the board of directors of the Bank of Belle Glade, a former director of Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau and is a former chair of the Florida Fertilizer and Agrichemical Association.
In honor of his lifelong dedication to the success of Florida farmers, the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau presented its highest honor of the EAA Farm Family of the Year Award to the Dennis Wedgworth family.
