By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

ATLANTA, Ga. — By their actions, these three expressed to others the important role that farmers and ranchers play in providing abundant and affordable food and fiber. And for that, they will each receive the Advocating for Agriculture award at the Ag Connect Expo 2011 on Jan. 8 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

More than 12,500 online votes were cast from the U.S. ag community, to honor the nation’s Ag Woman of the Year, Community Advocate Award and Next Generation of Ag Award. This year’s winners were Beverly Hall of Baxter, Tenn., Ray Bowman of Frankfort, Ky., and Elliott Marsh of Statesboro, Ga.

“This award seeks to create a wider public understanding and appreciation of the industry’s role and the significant contribution that production agriculture makes to our quality of life,” said Liz Stock, spokesperson for Ag Connect Expo. “The achievements and significant contributions of the award winners also serve as an inspiration for future industry leaders.”

Tennessee treasure

Hall will receive the Ag Woman of the Year award. This recognizes the achievements of women in farming operations, in their communities or in the agriculture industry as a whole.

Hall has more than 20 years of experience as an ag educator in both Illinois and Tennessee. While teaching in Putman County, Tenn., she brought tubs and planted grains and vegetables at school to engage her students about agriculture. At times, she had farmers bring in farm animals. She later built an outdoor garden with raised beds for vegetables, herbs and other crops.
“Today only 2 percent of Americans grow all the food that we need,” Hall said. “For more than two decades I’ve taught schoolchildren the importance of agriculture. This has also helped educate the parents as well. Most of us are several generations removed from the farm, but we all need to be agriculturally literate.”

Hall was also able to help many families in this low-income area learn how to grow food. She won the 2006 Excellence in Teaching Ag Award for Tennessee. So successful are her teachings that her after-school agriculture program has expanded into other schools across the state.

“Protecting the family farm and educating families is key to a strong and healthy nation. It is the ultimate homeland security measure,” she said.
Hall’s family has farmed in Tennessee for five generations.

Producing interest

Bowman will receive the Community Advocate Award. This recognizes the generous spirit of agriculture through contributions made to local community projects and development.

Bowman has been actively engaged in agriculture advocacy since his retirement from Kentucky state government and, later, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He produces a weekly Internet radio show on America’s Web Radio showcasing agriculture and recently produced and hosted a 30-minute program for the Kentucky Soybean Board called “Faces of Farming,” showcasing farmers and telling their stories.

“City dwellers have lost touch with what goes on at the farm,” Bowman said. “They’re relying on information that is agenda-driven. Oftentimes they rely on activists and mainstream media to get their information.

“As farmers, we need to be more transparent in what we do. We need to educate these people and let them know where their food comes from. It’s a critical issue. Fifteen percent of the American public is what the FDA says is ‘food insecure.’ We need to rally behind a unified message and support a safe, abundant food supply.”

As part of Bowman’s effort he produced two public service announcements in a campaign to promote a more favorable image of farmers and agriculture. He was executive director of the Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office. There, he worked to unite sheep and goat industries, helping to make them more accepted in mainstream agriculture.

Teaching the basics

Marsh will receive the Next Generation of Ag Award. This recognizes the importance of our next generation of agriculture contributors and celebrates farmers, ranchers and other individuals under the age of 35 who have embraced the responsibility to feed and clothe the world by committing to a career in agriculture.

Marsh is the Agribusiness Program coordinator and instructor at Ogeechee Technical College in Georgia, and the first president of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences East Georgia Alumni Chapter.
“I’ve had a great opportunity to impact my community and my state, but I’ve also had the opportunity to read agriculture-related books at elementary schools, help 4-H and FFA students prepare for district and state competition and volunteer with the University of Georgia Agriculture Alumni Association. It’s up to me and others to make sure our youth are educated in agriculture,” he said.

Ag Connect Expo is an annual event that brings together the latest in equipment, technology and expertise from all areas of agriculture production from around the world. As part of their awards, the three received an all-expense paid trip to the Expo for themselves and a partner.