By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Five young farmers were honored Dec. 1 at the 91st Michigan Farm Bureau meeting as winners of the organization’s young farmer contests.

Katie Eisenberger, of Mount Pleasant, won the Young Farmer Excellence in Agriculture Award; Sarah Peterson, of Niles, won the Outstanding Young Agricultural Leader Award; Cheryl Strautz, of Stanton, talked her way to victory in the Young Farmer Discussion Meet contest; Kris Wardin, of St. Johns, prevailed as the winner of MFB’s Young Farmer Achievement Award; and Jennifer Wharton, of Baroda, took home the Young Farm Employee Award.

Eisenberger, 29, is a 4-H Extension educator with the Gratiot County Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Office, where she reaches more than 3,000 youths through their involvement in 4-H.
As a Gratiot County Farm Bureau member and chair of the county’s Project Rural Education Day Committee, coordinator for Ag in the Classroom and member of the Young Farmer and Promotion and Education Committees, Eisenberger has established relationships with area schools that enable her to teach Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom curriculum to elementary students, assist FFA members in preparing for contests and serve as a resource to area teachers.
She was selected by guest judges from a field of four finalists. Eisenberger will go on to compete for the National Young Farmer and Rancher Excellence in Agriculture Award at the American Farm Bureau Federation 92nd Convention and annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 9-12, 2011.

The Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes young farmers, between the ages of 18 and 35, who do not derive the majority of their income from a personally-owned agricultural operation, but who actively contribute to and grow through their involvement in Farm Bureau and agriculture.

Peterson, 28, her husband, Alan, and his family farm 1,050 acres of corn and soybeans and raise 320 head of Angus-Simmental cross cattle on the family’s M.K. Peterson Farm in Cass County. She earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a specialization in agribusiness management from Michigan State University – experience she puts to work on the farm in recordkeeping, feeding and processing cattle and working fields for planting.

In addition to family life with two small children, Peterson volunteers much of her time with the Cass County Farm Bureau. She is a member of the board of directors, chairperson of the Promotion and Education Committee, and is a member of the Young Farmer Committee and Farmers CARE Action Team.
She was selected by guest judges from a field of four award finalists.

The Outstanding Young Agricultural Leader Award recognizes a successful young farmer, between the ages of 18 and 35, for outstanding leadership roles in Farm Bureau, agriculture, and his or her local community. Contestants are judged on their ability to actively serve in leadership roles while managing a successful farm operation.

Strautz, 31, talked her way to the top of the field of 34 competitors in the discussion meet contest. She will also advance to the national Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) Discussion Meet at the American Farm Bureau Federation 92nd Convention and annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga.

She owns and operates Strautz Farms with her mother, Pat Strautz. The pair grows corn and hay and raises horses and beef cattle on 100 acres. Strautz also works as an accountant for a local supermarket chain.

The annual Discussion Meet challenges MFB members, ages 18 to 35, to discuss current agricultural issues. Guest judges evaluate contestants on their timed analysis of each topic, delivery and cooperative attitude. Participants were eligible to compete in the state contest after successfully advancing in district meets.

Wardin, 32, and his wife, Carla, operate a 300-head dairy farm in Clinton County, which they took over from Carla’s parents in 2007. Wardin is the dairy herdsman. He also manages the farm’s 10 full-time and part-time employees, does the farm’s accounting, and manages the planting, harvesting, crop fertilization and spraying for the farm’s 750 acres of crop and pasture land.

Wardin is a member of the Clinton County Farm Bureau board of directors. He also serves as the county’s Young People’s Citizenship Seminar coordinator and is a member of the Farmers CARE Action Team. Wardin has a bachelor’s degree in biosystems engineering from Michigan State University. The couple has three children.
The Young Farmer Achievement Award recognizes a successful young Farm Bureau member or married couple, between the ages of 18 and 35, for outstanding achievement in the business of farming and leadership in the agricultural community. Applicants are judged on their farm management ability and involvement in Farm Bureau and other organizations.

As the state winner, Wardin will go on to compete for the national Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) Achievement Award at the American Farm Bureau Federation 92nd Convention and Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga.

Wharton, 22, was selected from four finalists in the Outstanding Young Farm Employee contest.

She is one of only two full-time employees at Barbott Farms and Greenhouse, a retail/wholesale operation and agritourism destination in Berrien County. A nine-year employee, Wharton’s responsibilities have grown to include a variety of jobs ranging from planting and watering plants to helping run a retail store and corn maze. She also assists with accounting and payroll, and she is the primary lead person for the farm’s custom planting service, where customers bring in empty pots to be planted.

Promoting the farm is also on the top of Wharton’s list. She produces an electronic newsletter for customers, updates the farm’s website and works on various promotions for the retail operation.
Wharton is chairperson of the Berrien County Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee. She also is a director on the county board and a member of the Young Farmer Committee. Wharton expects to graduate from Western Michigan University in 2012 with a degree in elementary education.

The Outstanding Young Farm Employee Award recognizes young farmers, between the ages of 18 and 35, for their contributions as employees to the success and long-term profitability of the operations, where they are employed. Nominees are also judged on their leadership involvement in Farm Bureau, agriculture and their community.