Arkansas Farm Bureau recognized Casey Rogers of Greene County Tech High School in Paragould as its 2020 Outstanding Ag Instructor of the Year. Caroline Lester of Westside High School in Jonesboro earned the 2020 Outstanding New Ag Instructor of the Year, and County Line High School in Branch grabbed the top spot as the Outstanding Ag Program of the Year.
Caleb Plyler, ArFB board member and cow-calf producer from Spring Hill (Hempstead County), has been appointed by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to a three-year term on the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board, usually referred to as the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.
This week is all about award winners. First, we get reactions from the newly named Arkansas Farm Family of the Year for 2020, then we hear from poultry grower Kallem Hill, the recipient of this year’s Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award. We also talk to Larry Smith, president of Stone County Farm Bureau, which received the prestigious President’s Award from Arkansas Farm Bureau during this year’s virtual annual convention.
Chris and Denise Sweat of McCaskill (Hempstead County) are the 2020 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year. The honor was announced today during a virtual event honoring the county and district Farm Families of the Year.
Arkansas Farm Bureau announced its major county and women’s leadership award winners at its 86th Annual Convention. The event was conducted virtually Dec. 3 from the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Kallem Hill of Oppelo was announced Wednesday as winner of the 2020 Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award from the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. The award announcement came during the organization’s 86th annual state convention held remotely from the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee, Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee and the Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation announced they have donated $50,000 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas to help offset projected shortfalls as a result of COVID-19. This new donation is in addition to a $50,000 donation from the Foundation and Women’s Leadership Committee in May.
The Arkansas Farm Bureau announced today a commitment of $300,000 to the FFA and 4-H over the next five years to support the development of new facilities and the growth of these youth leadership programs. Each organization will receive a total of $150,000.
Drew and Laura Davis of Bono (Craighead County) and Monica Paskewitz of Melbourne (Izard County) earned the top two Young Farmers & Ranchers awards this month during Arkansas Farm Bureau’s annual Officers & Leaders Conference, which was held “virtually” for the first time in its 72-year history. The awards honor young farmers and ranchers ages 18-35 for the general excellence of their operations and their hard work and innovation.
Valerie Lawson, a family and consumer science teacher at Clinton High School in Van Buren County, is Arkansas Farm Bureau's 2020 Ag in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher. She joined us to talk about the many ways she incorporates agriculture in her students' curriculum.
