During last week’s National Ag Day festivities, Farm Credit honored 100 leaders shaping the future of American agriculture and bringing fresh perspectives to the greater community. Some 23 of them came from the Northeast. And four – Christine Fesko of Skaneateles, N.Y.; James Harrison of Gloucester, Mass.; Trevor Hoff of New Windsor, Md.; and Russell Redding of Aspers, Pa. – were top 10 distinguished honorees.

Farm Credit’s top 100 list of rural America and agriculture influencers include 24 from Northeast. Fesko, Harrison, Hoff and Redding made the top 10.

Fesko was the top honoree in the Agriculture Education and Community Impact category. She owns Chris Fesko Enterprises, which produces educational videos for schools and the general public nationwide, and the Farm Discovery Center, an educational facility for urban children to experience math, science and language arts in a barn setting as a school field trip. 

Harrison, executive director of The Food Project, received the top honor in the Sustainability and Natural Resource Conservation category. TFP is a non-profit organization that engages young people in sustainable agriculture and creates improved access to fresh, locally grown food in low-income areas. James serves as a mentor and role model to teens and was integral in creating new farms in Lynn, Beverly and Wenham, Mass.

Hoff, owner of Local Homestead Products retail store, claimed top honor in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation category. His entrepreneurial spirit carried him through high school and college, first developing a beef jerky business and attending food shows. He developed a local retail outlet for beef, cheese and produce, working with 20 farmer-suppliers.

Redding has extensive experience as a public agricultural servant, having spent more than 20 years serving Pennsylvania in Harrisburg and Washington D.C. He worked as Ag Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Harris Wofford. He’s the former dean of the Delaware Valley University’s School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. With 16 years of service, Russell is currently his second round as Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture.

Top 10 honorees receive a $10,000 award to help further their contributions to thriving rural communities and agriculture. They’ll also be honored in Washington, D.C., at a special June Farm Credit event.

Other category honorees
Another 20 Northeast leaders were named to the top 100 and honored in the following categories:

Agriculture Education and Community Impact
Jessica Ziehm, of Buskirk, N.Y., executive director of the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition, and dairy farmer

Beginning Farmer Achievement
Henry Byma, partner in By-Acre Holsteins at Wantage, N.J.
Charles Currie of Raynham, Mass., founder of Freedom Food Farm
Hattie Henderson, of New Florence, Pa., student at Penn State University and farmer
Jim Hyland, founder of The Farm Bridge at New Paltz, N.Y.
Melissa Mellinger, of Strasburg, Pa., farmer and farm manager for True Vine Farm

Financial Stewardship
Kenny Bounds, of Laurel, Del., senior vice president, MidAtlantic Farm Credit
Bill Lipinski, of Hampden, Mass., Farm Credit East CEO
John Lombardi, Jr., of Waterford, Conn., retired poultry producer, instrumental in developing Eggland’s Best brand

Leadership (21 and up)
Dale-Ila Riggs, owner of The Berry Patch in Stephentown, N.Y.
Matthew Meals, Newville, Pa, partner in R Valley Farms

Mentoring and Volunteerism
Rebecca Gurley, Sparks, Md., farmer and founder of Calvert’s Gift Farm and Chesapeake Farm to Table

Rural Policy Influence
Eric Coolidge, at Wellsboro, Pa., dairy farmer and county commissioner
Elder Vogel, Jr., Rochester, Pa., dairy farmer and Pennsylvania State Senator

Rural and Urban Connection
Fernand “Chip” Paillex, president and founder of America’s Grow-a-Row in Pittstown, N.J.
Levi Cahan, of Whitehall, N.Y., teacher and owner-operator of Rising Sun Farm
Ann Karlen, of Philadelphia, Pa., executive director of Fair Food Philly
Ryan MacKay and Thomas Corbett, founders of Lilac Hedge Farm, Berlin, Mass.
Nancy Robbins, of Sackets Harbor, N.Y., founder of Old McDonald’s Farm, part owner and operator of North Harbor Dairy and Robbins Family Grain Company
Katherine Sims, Lowell, Vt., founder and executive director of Green Mountain Farm-to-School

Farm Credit launched the Farm Credit 100 Fresh Perspectives program as part of its 100^th anniversary of service to rural communities and agriculture. Selected by a panel of experts on rural matters, the honorees join an impressive list of leaders. To learn more about each of them, visit farmcredit100.com/top100. Then click on their names.