Michigan Farmer Logo

3 receive Michigan Master Farmer award

The award recognizes a lifetime of outstanding farm management, innovation, conservation and leadership.

Jennifer Kiel, Editor, Michigan Farmer and Ohio Farmer

January 11, 2021

2 Min Read
Master Farmer medallion on cornfield backdrop
MASTER FARMERS: Michigan Farmer has named three producers as 2021 Master Farmers. They are Frank Vyskocil of New Lothrop, Waldron Farms of Stanton and Jim Wilson of Yale. Stories highlighting their farming careers will appear on michiganfarmer.com over the next three days.

The celebration of Michigan’s finest farmers won’t be the usual because of COVID-19, but the revered Michigan Master Farmer award still carries with it agriculture’s highest honor — even without an audience.

If agriculture had an Academy Awards, three Michigan farmers would be in line to receive the equivalent of an Oscar for starring in outstanding farm management, innovation, conservation and leadership.

For each of the past 17 years, Michigan Farmer has bestowed the prestigious Master Farmer award on three people who have demonstrated how to farm more effectively, efficiently, environmentally and economically.

This year’s winners are Frank Vyskocil of New Lothrop, Waldron Farms of Stanton and Jim Wilson of Yale. Stories highlighting their farming careers will appear on michiganfarmer.com over the next three days.

The winners are normally awarded and celebrated during a luncheon at the Great Lakes Crop Summit, but the event was canceled this year because of the pandemic. Plans are now to award this year’s winners, as well as next year’s recipients, at the 2022 GLCS, which is sponsored by the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, Michigan Wheat Program and Corn Marketing Program of Michigan.

The award acknowledges a lifetime of achievement and not a single year. Master Farmers are nominated by peers and are chosen by a committee of agriculture industry leaders.

Videos of the winners, traditionally shown during the awards luncheon, are produced by sponsor Brownfield Ag News. Those videos accompany the online stories.

Master Farmers receive a plaque and a pin from Michigan Farmer magazine and a Carhartt jacket, donated by Carhartt. They also receive a $1,000 check, made possible by sponsors Michigan Agricultural Commodities, Greenstone Farm Credit Services and Wilbur-Ellis.

Michigan Master Farmers

Here is a list of past winners:

2005. Fred Tubbs, Mark Huggett, Walter Stafford

2006. Dennis Hasenick, Bob Dykhuis, Dave Morris (honorary)

2007. Pete Clark, Wally Huggett, Armon Southworth

2008. John Crumbaugh, Todd Young, Kurt Ewald

2009. Andy Snider, Dale Weburg, George Weburg, Clark Humrich

2010. Paul Rood, Jeffery Sandborn, Carl Moore

2011. Ken Swanson, Gary Bardenhagen, Bill Irrer

2012. Ronald Helmreich, John Felzke, Frank Lipinski

2013. Earl Barks, John Swanson, Tony Jandernoa

2014. Richard Dobbins, John Schaendorf, Harley Sietsema

2015. Olan and Kent Humm, Robert “Alan” Moore, Richard Lauwers

2016. Delbert Crumbaugh, Brian Haskin, Andy Welden

2017. Tim Brodbeck, David Williams, Ken and Ida Wadsworth

2018. Ed Cagney, Tom Braid, Robert Ohse

2019. Bruce Noll, Dean Haubenstricker, Jim Domagalski

2020. Clark Gerstacker, Kevin Winkel

About the Author

Jennifer Kiel

Editor, Michigan Farmer and Ohio Farmer

Jennifer was hired as editor of Michigan Farmer in 2003, and in 2015, she began serving a dual role as editor of Michigan Farmer and Ohio Farmer. Both those publications are now online only, while the print version is American Agriculturist, which covers Michigan, Ohio, the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic. She is the co-editor with Chris Torres.

Prior to joining Farm Progress, she served three years as the manager of communications and development for the American Farmland Trust Central Great Lakes Regional Office in Michigan, and as director of communications with the Michigan Agri-Business Association. Previously, she was the communications manager at Michigan Farm Bureau's state headquarters. She also lists 10 years of experience at six different daily and weekly Michigan newspapers on her resume.

She has been a member of American Agricultural Editors’ Association (now Agricultural Communicators Network) since 2003. She has won numerous writing and photography awards through that organization, which named her a Master Writer in 2006 and Writer of Merit in 2017.

She is a board member for the Michigan 4-H Foundation, Clinton County Conservation District and Barn Believers.

Jennifer and her husband, Chris, live in St. Johns, Mich., and collectively have five grown children and four grandchildren.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like