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Hoosiers Honored for Going Beyond the Fence for Indiana Farmers
February 27, 2012
By Gary Truitt
Indiana corn and soybean farmers recently honored a group of deserving Hoosiers for their outstanding support and promotion of Indiana agriculture with Beck’s Hybrids Beyond the Fence awards. The awards, which are sponsored by Beck’s Hybrids of Atlanta, Ind., in conjunction with the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) and the Indiana Corn Growers Association (ICGA), were presented at the Indiana Livestock, Forage and Grain Forum on February 27 in Indianapolis. “For the second year in a row, we’ve had an outstanding group of nominees for the Beck’s Beyond the Fence Awards,” said Scott Beck, vice president of Beck’s Hybrids. “The four individuals selected are tremendous supporters of Indiana agriculture and are dedicated to educating about the importance agriculture has to the state, our country and world.”
The four award recipients honored for their outstanding contributions to Indiana agriculture are:
• Marshall Martin Marshall of West Lafayette, Ind. received the Friend of Indiana Agriculture award for outstanding contributions to agriculture by a non-farmer. Martin is a professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University where he serves as the senior associate director of agricultural research programs and assistant dean for Purdue’s College of Agriculture.
• Dris Abraham of Battleground, Ind. received the Community Betterment award, which recognizes a farmer for outstanding contributions to the community through philanthropic, service, volunteerism, donations and/or leadership projects. He is the chief operating officer for Historic Prophetstown. Abraham also shares his knowledge with U.S. military personnel who are preparing for service in Afghanistan where they will help rebuild local farms.
• Jerry Goshert of New Paris, Ind. received the Ag Media award for excellence in reporting about Indiana agriculture. Goshert is the editor of The Farmer’s Exchange and covers stories ranging from hand corn husking to modern technology.
• Pat Redden of Cambridge City, Ind. received the Ag Education Outreach award for his outstanding contribution to Indiana agricultural education. Redden is the agricultural education instructor at Lincoln High School in Wayne County.
Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark accepted an honorary Friend of Indiana Agriculture award at the Indiana Livestock, Forage and Grain Forum for his work with Indiana corn and soybean farmers to promote the importance of agriculture to Indiana through the Hoosier Horsepower program over the last three years.
“We value the contributions of individuals like this year’s recipients of the Beyond the Fence awards. It’s because of people like this that Indiana agriculture remains a vital success story,” said Gary Lamie, ICGA president and Tippecanoe County farmer. “It’s an honor for us to recognize such quality individuals who work on and off the farm to share our success story.”
Mike Beard, chairman of ISA membership and policy committee agreed.
“With more and more consumers removed from the farm, there is less and less understanding about the agricultural industry,” said Beard. “Like our Hoosier corn and soybean farmers, Beck’s Hybrids understands the importance of sharing our story and recognizing those individuals who go above and beyond in sharing that story.”
