The Illinois agricultural community gathered in East Peoria, Illinois, yesterday to honor four new Master Farmer couples with the 2016 Master Farmer award.

“We take a moment today to pause and to recognize the mammoth work done by four farm couples and their families,” said Editor Holly Spangler. “Weather and markets - and state budgets - are fleeting but the values and the skills that make a Master Farmer remain just as they were 90 years ago.”

The Class of 2016 includes:

Mark and Karen DeDecker, Cambridge

Reggie and Norma Jean Dowell, Greenview

Ron and Julie Lawfer, Kent

Bill and Brenda Raben, Ridgway

MASTER TEAMWORK: The Class of 2016 included Ron and Julie Lawfer, Jo Daviess County; Norma Jean and Reggie Dowell, Menard County; Brenda and Bill Raben, Gallatin County; and Karen and Mark DeDecker, Henry County.

David Erickson, a 2003 Master Farmer and the Illinois Farm Bureau vice president, delivered the keynote address. “You all know the value of management and leadership, in your business and in your personal life,” he told the crowd. “You do things right, and you do the right thing.”

Each couple presented photos and information on their farm, family and community, then accepted their award. The plaque they received is an exact replica of the medal first given 91 years ago, when the program was begun in 1925. The Prairie Farmer Master Farmer award is the oldest farm recognition program in the country.

Back in 1925, Prairie Farmer gave its first Master Farmer awards at a simple ceremony in Chicago, where the magazine honored 23 Illinois and Indiana farmers as Master Farmers. Frank Lowden, then Illinois governor, served as main speaker and the program was carried on Prairie Farmer's radio station, WLS. Burridge Butler, the publisher and owner of Prairie Farmer, presented gold medals to the farmers, and the paper printed feature articles about each man.

“You make agriculture a better industry, and you make your communities a nicer place to live, and you're raising children who go out and make the world a better place,” Spangler told the crowd.

“You all are models of an agricultural life lived well. You're Master Farmers.”

In the next few pages, check out the festivities from Tuesday's Master Farmer luncheon.

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CONGRATULATIONS: Prairie Farmer editor Holly Spangler and associate editor Jill Loehr present Mark and Karen DeDecker, of Cambridge in Henry County, with their 2016 Master Farmer award. The DeDeckers raise corn and soybeans on 2,000 acres with their son, Lance, and finish 30,000 hogs in a feeder-to-finish operation. They’ve been active in the Illinois Pork Producers Association and in Henry County SWCD and FSA boards, and are parents to three adult children.

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WINNERS: Prairie Farmer editor Holly Spangler and associate editor Jill Loehr present the 2016 Master Farmer award to Reggie and Norma Jean Dowell, Menard County. The Greenview farmers raise corn, soybeans and seed beans on 5,380 acres, farming with their son David. Once active in the hog business, they’re currently retrofitting a hog barn to finish cattle. They been active in local school, SWCD, and fair boards, and in their local Methodist church. The Dowells have four children.

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CREAM OF THE CROP: Prairie Farmer editor Holly Spangler and associate editor Jill Loehr present the 2016 Master Farmer award to Ron and Julie Lawfer, Jo Daviess County. The Kent dairy farmers milk 180 cows and raise 180 young dairy stock, and farm 450 acres of corn, soybeans and hay. The Lawfers welcome more than 500 visitors to their farm every year and are active in the local Farm Bureau and school board. The Lawfers have four adult children.

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TOP FARMERS: Prairie Farmer editor Holly Spangler and associate editor Jill Loehr present the 2016 Master Farmer award to Bill and Brenda Raben, Gallatin County. The Ridgway farmers farm 2,400 acres of corn and soybeans in southeastern Illinois, farming in conjunction with Bill’s brother, Jim. They’ve been active in the Illinois Soybean Association and in St. Kateri Catholic Church, which they helped rebuild after it was destroyed by a tornado. They are parents to three adult children.

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LEADERSHIP: 2003 Master Farmer David Erickson, Altona, delivered the keynote address at Tuesday’s luncheon, telling the crowd that Master Farmers have double vision – but the very best kind: “They have the ability to visualize what something can be, and the ability to make that vision reality.” Erickson is currently serving as Illinois Farm Bureau vice president.

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CROWD: Past Master Farmers the past several decades turned out to recognize the 2016 Master Farmers, and were joined by leaders from all across Illinois agriculture.

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ALUMNI: Past Master Farmers spent time catching up, including 2003 Master Farmer David Erickson and 2010 Master Farmer Terry Pope and his wife, Gayle.

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LIKE THIS: Agricultural leaders from across the state took a few minutes to catch up and reflect on the day, including, from left, Colleen Callahan, USDA Rural Development Director for Illinois; Rod Stoll, Farm Credit Services of Illinois; and DeLoss Jahnke, Illinois Farm Bureau RFD network.