Master Farmers are selected for their leadership and dedication to the agriculture industry. For some folks, these individuals may be an easy pick for a mentor. However, they started their careers with mentors of their own.

This year’s Master Farmer class consisted of Ron and Sherry Cash, Greencastle, Ind.; Troy and Lisa Furrer, Wolcott, Ind.; Tim Gauck, Greensburg, Ind.; and Keith and Darla Schoettmer, Tipton, Ind. Honorary Master Farmers included Steve Nichols, Delphi, Ind., and Harry Pearson, Hartford City, Ind. This group was not shy when it came time to recognize their mentors at the Master Farmer Ceremony on July 17.

Here is a glimpse at who these Master Farmers look up to for guidance:

Ron Cash: I had an uncle, my mother’s brother. He was always broke and said he was always broke. But he would take chances. He would follow through with things. And he is someone who I admire a lot. Also, my mother and father took me to church since I was born, and I’d like to thank God for what he brought me.

Troy Furrer: I would have to say my dad was my biggest mentor. I didn’t go to college; I went for two months, and I knew what I wanted to do my whole life. And I had the opportunity. I’m very thankful for that. My dad and I worked together for years. I really enjoyed that and appreciated it, and he taught me a lot over time with hogs and grain farming and just about life.

Tim Gauck: My dad was not a farmer, but he managed a gravel company. And he had a lot of good things that I learned from him from a management standpoint. He was a very good mechanic and inventor.

My grandfather was on the farm all the time, and if you’re around me very long, you’ll hear me quote him quite often. I also had a good neighbor. When I needed help or needed to borrow anything, or whatever it was, he was there to help me.

Keith Schoettmer: The guy who I bought the farm from, Dan Mattingly, was always kind of there in the background to walk me through the beginning of my career. I want to mention Delmar Guard — he was always there anytime I had a question. Another man who would come to mind would be Roger Drayer. He owns Waitt Companies and Waitt Elevator. For whatever reason, he kind of took us under his wing and helped me navigate some of the waters in the very beginning. Roger was always a phone call away, and we appreciated him for his help.

Steve Nichols: Without a doubt, the one that comes to my mind from when I went to Purdue was Hobe Jones. I think he was “Mr. Swine Man” in the state of Indiana, and I always wanted to be a livestock judge, so I was on the livestock judging teams at Purdue. And then, when I worked at the farm, Hobe was my boss, and he was my counselor. When I got my master’s, he was my major professor, just like a second dad. The thing I always admired about him is that if he was talking to a 10-year-old 4-H’er or a 60-year-old farmer, he was the same man.

Harry Pearson: I can think of three or four, but first was my dad. Dad always wanted to farm, and I can remember him working in a factory and trying to farm at the same time. I remember him talking about going to the cornfield with a team of horses and a kerosene lamp and picking a load of corn. He would come home at 11 o’clock and be out in the barn milking a cow that evening. That was his goal — to be farming. And he was a good mentor to me. Another one was my ag teacher in school. He was the one who brought me to Purdue and helped me get enrolled and got me started. Then, I have to say one of the first ones once I got to Purdue was dean David Pfendler.