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Young Farm couple advance; Scheiderer recognized

by Annie Cunningham

Ohio Farm Bureau had plenty of accomplishments to be proud of during the American Farm Bureau (AFBF) annual meeting in Honolulu. Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) was awarded five Awards for Excellence and two President’s Awards. Kent and Joy Bauman, OFBF’s Young Farm Couple representative, were named to the top five in the AFBF Young Farmer Achievement Award contest, and Ohio’s Dave Scheiderer was the national winner of the Excellence in Crop Advising award.

The awards program for the state Farm Bureaus was changed this year. Awards for Excellence were presented in five program areas – education and agricultural promotion, leadership development, member services, policy implementation and public relations. President’s Awards were presented to one state Farm Bureau in each of the six membership size classes for each of the five program areas. Ohio was awarded all five Awards for Excellence and won the President’s Award for leadership development and policy implementation.

"Ohio Farm Bureau’s success comes from the great work done by volunteers and staff," said Terry McClure, OFBF president. "Ohio Farm Bureau continues to grow in size and success each year, and I know with the hard work of our members, that will continue."

Young farmers and ranchers from around the United States competed for the awards by demonstrating knowledge of and achievement in agriculture, as well as commitment to promoting the agriculture industry. Kent and Joy Bauman of Adams County were named as one of the four runners-up in the competition. They received a Case IH DX compact tractor, courtesy of Case IH, and a $1,500 voucher toward the cost of crop protection products from Syngenta Crop Protection. The winners of the competition were John and Dana Butler of Tennessee, and the other runners-up were Michael and Sarah Ver Steeg of Iowa, Dale and Lisa Koester of Indiana, and Chris and Anna Rawl of South Carolina.

"We are so happy to have made it this far," said Joy Bauman. "The support we received from the Ohio Farm Bureau, our friends and family has been overwhelming, and we’re glad we could do well for them."

The Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities. Participants are evaluated on a combination of their agricultural operation growth and financial progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside Farm Bureau.

An Ohio crop adviser was honored as this year’s Excellence in Crop Advising recipient during AFBF’s 85^th annual meeting. David Scheiderer, owner of Integrated Ag Services Ltd., Milford Center, accepted the award in a special presentation.

The Excellence in Crop Advising awards program is sponsored by AFBF in association with the American Society of Agronomy (ASA). The award recognizes certified crop advisers who have performed superior service for farmers in nutrient management, soil and water management, integrated pest management and crop production. In addition, the award increases awareness of the fact that farmers and their service people strive to do their best in making both economically and environmentally sound cropping decisions.

Representing Ohio in the national young farmer Discussion Meet was Amanda Miller, Tuscarawas County, and Chris and Sarah Helsinger, Montgomery County, participated in the young farmer Excellence in Agriculture contest. Miller was defeated in the first round by the eventual winner of the contest, Ben Cummings, from West Virginia.

Caption: OFBF President Terry McClure is congratulated by AFBF President Bob Stallman on winning five Awards of Excellence and two President's Awards at the AFBF annual meeting in Honolulu. Photo by Annie Cunningham

Caption: AFBF President Bob Stallman, l, recognizes Dave Scheiderer as the national winner of the Excellence in Crop Advising award. Also pictured is Scheiderer’s wife, Zita.

Caption: Kent and Joy Bauman of Adams County were named as one of the four runners-up for the AFBF Young Farm Couple Achievement Award.