Menu

Farmers and their crop advisers have a relationship that involves a lot of trust, and it’s that relationship that will be honored when Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) and the Ohio Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program present the state’s Excellence in Crop Advising Award during this year’s Farm Science Review in September.

Nominations are due by May 15. Forms are available at county Extension, Farm Bureau and Soil and Water Conservation District offices. At least one person nominating a CCA must be a member of Ohio Farm Bureau.

"This award is a great opportunity to recognize the invaluable work of Ohio’s certified crop advisers," according to Constance Jackson, OFBF vice president of agricultural ecology. "All of Ohio agriculture benefits from the work done by Ohio’s CCAs."

The Ohio winner will receive a plaque, recognition in several publications, $500 and an OFBF-sponsored trip to the AFBF Watershed Heroes Core4 Conference near St. Peter, Minn.

Certificates will be provided to county Farm Bureaus that have advisers in their counties nominated for recognition at those county FB annual meetings later this summer.

The application of Ohio’s winner will be forwarded to the American Farm Bureau for consideration for the national Excellence in Crop Advising Award. The national winner will receive an expense-paid trip to the 2004 AFBF annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The purpose of the recognition program is to increase the awareness that farmers and their service people strive to do their best in not only making economically sound cropping decisions, but also ones that are environmentally sound.

"With the increasing farm size, complexity of management options and increasingly complex regulations, we foresee farmers relying more and more on the advice of specialists who are Certified Crop Advisers," Jackson said. Ohio has more than 600 CCAs.

For more information on the award program, contact Amy Hurst at 614-246-8262.