Hale County catfish producer Matt Sims has been named Alabama’s 2026 Catfish Farmer of the Year by the Alabama Farmers Federation.
Sims farms alongside his father, Henry, managing 25 catfish ponds along with commercial cattle and pastureland. The operation moved from row crops into catfish in 1989, a shift Sims credits with keeping the farm going.
He traces his start in agriculture to age 5, standing on the door of an old feed truck watching the fish with his mother.
Hale County’s heavy clay soil holds water well, which is why the Black Belt anchors American catfish production.
Sims and his wife, Lindsey, have three children, Wade, Sara Morgan and Emmy. He is active in the Hale County Farmers Federation.
Federation Catfish Division Director William Green said the State Catfish Committee selected Sims, calling him a farmer who “strives to be a better farmer, son, husband and father.”
The award is announced each August in conjunction with National Catfish Month.
