As standouts in the ag community, four Ohioans will be honored Aug. 6 by the Ohio Agricultural Council as they are inducted into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Recognizing individuals who have committed their lives to working in, promoting and advocating for Ohio’s farm community, OAC will induct Monte Anderson of Wilmington, Randy Brown of Nevada, Tim Corcoran of Chillicothe and Keith Stimpert of Worthington into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame.

The annual event, which normally attracts more than 600 guests, will honor the four professionals for their lifetime of service and dedication to Ohio’s agriculture community.

“We are pleased to recognize this outstanding class of Hall of Fame inductees,” says Mike Bumgarner, president of the Ohio Agricultural Council and president and CEO of United Producers Inc. “Though our 2021 inductees represent diverse elements of the agriculture industry, from education to associations to those who dedicate their lives on the farm, all inductees have demonstrated deep dedication to the lasting improvement of Ohio’s agriculture industry, through their leadership, mentorship and advocacy efforts.”

The four inductees that will join 237 previous recipients named since 1966 include:

Monte Anderson of Wilmington. Monte Anderson has spent the past 35 years planting seeds. As chair and coordinator for the Agriculture Department of Wilmington College, Anderson is responsible for more than 275 agriculture students.

Each year, these students are guided by Anderson to germinate the vision of a career in agriculture within them, allowing them to grow into a legion of proud, productive agriculture professionals. Anderson is above all an advocate. An advocate for agriculture, and advocate for Wilmington College and an advocate for the student.

After receiving his doctorate in agricultural education from Ohio State University, Anderson began his career at Blackhawk Community College, where he was the division director for agriculture. While serving in this role, Anderson developed and implemented a recruitment model that led to recruiting and retaining more than 200 full-time students in the program.

Anderson left Blackhawk to join Wilmington College in 1985 as an assistant professor in the department of agriculture. He received tenure in 1991 and full professor status in 1994.

Throughout his career, Anderson has received numerous teaching awards. Most recently these include: Southern Ohio Commission of Higher Education Faculty Excellence in Teaching (2012); Wilmington College Student Government Association Teaching Excellence Award (1995) and (2014); and Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities Teaching in Excellence Award (2014).

Randy Brown of Nevada. Passionate about promoting Ohio agriculture, Randy Brown is being recognized for his positive effect on the industry at the county, state and national levels. Upon receiving his degree in business administration from Ashland College in 1976, Randy envisioned beginning his career in business and got his start at Wyandot Popcorn.

However, his true passion and career aspirations resided on his family farm in Nevada, Ohio. In 1979, Brown joined his father and brother on their family farm, Maken Bacon Farm.

For 41 years, Brown has worked on his family’s farming operation, which includes a sow and farrow-to-finish swine operation, cattle and 1,100 acres of cropland. Brown focuses his time on the swine operation, adapting to the ever-changing production methods in the swine industry — from raising pigs outdoors on dirt lots, to building modern, high-tech barns with controlled environments.

From the early stages of his professional career, Brown has served on numerous committees and boards within agriculture, including Ohio Pork Council president and board member, Ohio Livestock Coalition member, National Pork Board member and more.

Brown is well-known for hosting personal farm tours for legislators and key leaders to educate about modern pork production, and advocating for the pork industry in Washington, D.C., through the National Pork Producers Council’s Legislative Seminar.

Tim Corcoran of Chillicothe. Tim Corcoran, owner and partner of Corcoran Farms, has more than four decades of experience contributing to the betterment of Ohio agriculture and rural communities. He’s accomplished this through work on his farm, community service, Farm Bureau leadership and service as chairman of the board with Nationwide Insurance.

A legacy of advocating and protecting the interests of farmers has earned Corcoran widespread praise and recognition. His work also has led to more than 40 leadership appointments with at least 22 different organizations — including civic groups, church and schools, community planning groups, charities, political committees and agricultural associations at the local, state and national level, most notably the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, National Association of Corporate Directors, American Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Soybean Association and Ohio Corn Growers Association.

Corcoran’s strong leadership is matched with a humble personality and an innate sense of service. He is passionate about farming and recognizes the importance of helping others succeed in the industry, according to OAC.

Keith Stimpert of Worthington. Over the course of his career, Keith Stimpert has demonstrated a dedication, passion and belief in farmers and the betterment of agriculture. As executive director of the Ohio Soybean Association, Stimpert was asked to take on the legislative and education priorities of the Ohio Soybean Association.

With the creation of a national soybean checkoff established in 1991, Stimpert worked with farmer leaders to create an organization that would manage Ohio’s portion of the fund — ultimately taking the helm of the Ohio Soybean Council.

While serving as vice president of government affairs at Ohio Farm Bureau, Stimpert led the work for Ohio’s livestock producers as they faced challenges with facilities permitting, which ultimately led to the establishment of the livestock permitting program at the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

In 2009, Stimpert was part of the leadership team that helped to pass Issue 2 and the creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, which is still functioning today. The livestock care standards board created a national model for addressing livestock care and avoiding costly ballot initiatives.

Stimpert retired from Ohio Farm Bureau in 2020, but his legacy in Ohio’s agriculture industry is evident, manifesting through lasting legislation, association policies and statewide programs that continue to affect the industry today, according to OAC.

OAC launches new logo and website

At its spring meeting, the Ohio Agricultural Council was pleased to unveil a new logo and website design. To view the new logo and website, visit ohioagcouncil.org.  

Source: OAC, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.