American Farm Bureau honors state, members

CONTACT: Kathy Richardson, Public Relations Program Manager (352) 374-1533

New Orleans, La.— Florida Farm Bureau and its members were honored for organizational performance, lifetime service to agriculture and county programs during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 89th annual convention Jan. 12-15 in New Orleans. Two Young Farmer and Rancher couples also placed highly in their respective competitions.

Florida Farm Bureau was recognized with five Awards for Excellence, which are presented to state Farm Bureaus that have outstanding programs. Florida was recognized in the areas of Education and Agricultural Promotion, Leadership Development, Policy Implementation, Member Services and Public Relations and Information.

During the convention, Carl B. Loop Jr., who for 23 years was president of the Florida Farm Bureau, was honored with the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award for his service to national agriculture issues and to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Loop was honored during the general session on Jan. 14. He had served on the AFBF board for two decades and was vice president for six years.

Chris and Kelly Lyons of Mayo were runners-up in the Achievement Award contest. They will receive a Case IH DX compact tractor, courtesy of Case IH, and a $500 product voucher from Valvoline. 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’s growth and financial progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside Farm Bureau.

Charlie and Kelli Hofer of Ocala were among the top 10 finalists in the Excellence in Agriculture competition. The Excellence in Agriculture award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who do not derive the majority of their income from their agricultural operation, but who actively contribute and grow through their involvement in agriculture, their leadership ability, and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations.

Dade County Farm Bureau was among 15 recognized by the American Farm Bureau Federation through the County Activities of Excellence (CAE) program for outstanding county Farm Bureau programs and initiatives. Representatives from Dade County staffed a booth in the trade show area of the convention showcasing their “Tropical Fruit Industry Media Tour. This tour introduced members of the media, chefs, food writers and restaurant owners to local tropical fruit growers and showcased the county’s tropical fruit industry. Agriculture is one of Miami-Dade County’s leading industries, providing more than $1.09 billion in economic impact and 20,000 jobs. The tour allowed growers to highlight the positive aspects of their businesses while communicating Farm Bureau’s position on key issues such as immigration reform and property rights.

Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general-interest agricultural organization with approximately 143,000 member-families, statewide. For more information on the annual meeting, visit http://FloridaFarmBureau.org.