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Charles Holmes of Alabama

Charles A. Holmes was born September 17, 1951, in Demopolis, Alabama. A graduate of the Marion Military Institute, he also attended Auburn University where he studied agricultural economics and participated in a summer exchange program at Christ Church College in Oxford, England studying British-American history, religion and British architecture.

Charles is owner of Holmestead Company, a purebred homed Hereford and Brahman cross cow-calf, stocker, and timber operation. This land was homesteaded in 1819 by Charles’ great great-grandfather, William Moore. The family farm, along with its historical and agricultural buildings are open as a teaching property and are on the National Register of Historic Places.  He a founder of Stewards of Family Farms, Ranches and Forests, which aims to promote good stewardship, to safeguard the exercise of private property rights and the free enterprise system by families who own farms, ranches and forests.

Charles is a past president of the Alabama Association of Conservation Districts, going on to dedicate 28 years of his life to promoting conservation through service on NACD’s Board of Directors.

As a member beginning in 2007 and Chairman beginning in 2010, Charles served on the Joint Forestry Team where he helped to establish a Memorandum of Understanding between USDA-NRCS, Forest Service, National Association of State Foresters, and NACD to strengthen cooperation and collaboration between the parties.

Charles served on the Farm Bill implementation committee that made recommendations on conservation provisions to Congress for the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. He also served on the 2012 Farm Bill task force, during which he provided testimony to the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation Energy, and Forestry regarding the importance of forestry title programs for farmers and conservation districts during the development of the 2012 Farm Bill.

He has been recognized by the Alabama Wildlife Federation with their highest honor,  Conservationist of the Year, and by the National Cattleman’s Beef Associations with the Environmental Stewardship Award.  Charles was awarded the Special Service Award by NACD in 2001 and inducted in the Southeast Region Conservation Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2012, Charles was recognized for exceptional leadership and personal commitment to conservation and to the National Conservation District Employee’s Association. In 2013, his family received the Helene Mosley Memorial Treasure Forest Award for outstanding achievement in multiple use management of forest land by the Alabama Natural Resources Council. In 2016, he was recognized for outstanding service and dedication to the NACD Board of Directors, Alabama Association of Conservation Districts, Southeast Region of NACD, National Resources Policy Committee and Forestry Resource Policy Group by the National Association of Conservation Districts.

Charles now continues his work for conservation through advocacy, training, and encouraging the next generation of leaders.

Charles is married to Virginia (Jenny) Cooper, and they have three sons, William, Webb, and Cooper.

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