You’ve got to love an award that starts out with, “Swisher Sweets.” Especially if you’re in the southeast and a dairyman to boot.

Paul House, a dairy and crop farmer who also owns a sod business, was named the Swisher Sweets-Sunbelt Expo Virginia Farmer of the Year. House and his wife Flora, along with children Kyle and Stephanie, manage 3,100 acres in Nokesville, Va. The operation is situated in Prince William County, a growing and booming suburb of Washington, DC. In fact, the House farm is one of the only two dairy farms left in the county, which 40 years ago was home to over 125 dairies.

The Swisher Sweets-Sunbelt Expo Farmer of the Year award was created 26 years ago to recognize excellence in American agriculture. Paul House will join eight other southeastern state winners as a finalist for Southeastern Farmer of the Year at the 2006 Sunbelt Expo in Moultrie, Ga., in October.