By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday approved the $13.5 million sale of Hallmark Farms, the iconic estate in Warrior visible from I-65. The deal closed on Friday.
The approximately 500 acres site will be the future home of the Alabama Farm Center at Hallmark Farm and run by the Agriculture Exhibition Center Corporation, a group with a number of farmers appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey and other government officials and approved by the state Senate.
Jefferson County had to sign off on the deal as it was part of the Hallmark Farm Cooperative.
“We bought that piece of property in 2019,” said Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight, whose district includes the farm property. “[This] will be the start of a very great project up there, which will be the Farm Center of Alabama.”
The development is a $158 million project that will host rodeos, livestock shows, family entertainment, concerts, restaurants and lodging.
A bill passed the House in May 2024 before being signed by Gov. Kay Ivey. Senate Bill 219 allowed the Alabama Farmers Federation to build a state-of-the-art agriculture center on the Hallmark Farm property. The legislation created a board – the Agriculture Exhibition Center Corp. – to operate the facility. That board will work directly with the county to ensure everything moves smoothly.
“They will have the property in hand where they can go out and actually raise the dollars necessary,” Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens said. “It becomes real. It becomes a real project when they assume control of the property.
The Alabama Senate confirmed the AECC board Feb. 20, following the Legislature’s passage of a bill last year establishing the Center’s governance structure. Members are:
- Jimmy Parnell, Alabama Farmers Federation, appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey
- Ralph Williams Jr., Alabama Power, appointed by Ivey
- John Starnes, DeKalb County farmer, appointed by Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville
- Thomas Ellis, Lowndes County farmer, appointed by Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate
- Barrett Vaughn, Tuskegee University, appointed by Pate
- Joe Lambrecht, Elmore County farmer, appointed by Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth,
- Brad Fuller, Jefferson County farmer, appointed by the Jefferson County Commission.
Officers of the AECC board are Parnell, chair; Ellis, vice chair; and Williams, secretary-treasurer.
Williams said in a press release Friday the real estate closing clears the way for additional fundraising and site preparation.
“Today is one we’ve been anticipating,” he said. “Many have shared the dream of a premier agricultural education and event center for Alabama’s young people and families to enjoy. The AECC is committed to bringing this dream to fruition. We are confident the Alabama Farm Center at Hallmark Farm will be a regional destination that will benefit Alabama’s economy, students and workforce.”
Developed by Ted and Mary Hallmark in 1976, Hallmark Farm is an iconic 567-acre estate located roughly 30 minutes north of Birmingham in Warrior, AL. After the deaths of the owners, Hallmark Farms was purchased by the Hallmark Farm Cooperative — a joint effort between Jefferson County and the city of Warrior — in 2019.
