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Kevin Winkel and Clark Gerstacker received awards at the Great Lakes Crop Summit in Mount Pleasant.

Jennifer Kiel, Editor, Michigan Farmer

January 31, 2020

1 Min Read
Kevin Winkel  and Clark Gerstacker holdilng master farmer plaques
MASTER FARMERS: Kevin Winkel (left) of Hartford and Clark Gerstacker of Midland are the 2020 Michigan Master Farmers.

The Michigan Master Farmer award recently was bestowed on two of the state’s finest producers, recognizing their outstanding farm management, innovation, conservation and leadership.

For the past 15 years, Michigan Farmer has presented the award to people who have demonstrated how to farm more effectively, efficiently and economically, and in an environmentally conscious way.

This year’s Master Farmer winners are Clark Gerstacker of Midland and Kevin Winkel of Hartford.

The award acknowledges a lifetime of achievement rather than a single year.

Master Farmers are nominated by peers and chosen by a committee of ag industry leaders. Winners were honored Jan. 30 during an awards luncheon, hosted in conjunction with the 2020 Great Lakes Crop Summit at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant.

The summit is sponsored by the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, Michigan Wheat Program and Corn Marketing Program of Michigan. The awards luncheon will show videos of the winners, produced by sponsor Brownfield Ag News.

Master Farmers receive a plaque 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.

Winkel owns Winkel Orchards, which consists of 150 acres with 96 acres of high-density apples. Gerstacker farms 1,700 acres of corn, soybeans, sugarbeets and dry beans.

About the Author(s)

Jennifer Kiel

Editor, Michigan Farmer

While Jennifer is not a farmer and did not grow up on a farm, "I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone with more appreciation for the people who grow our food and fiber, live the lifestyles and practice the morals that bind many farm families," she says.

Before taking over as editor of Michigan Farmer in 2003, 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 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 impressive resume.

Jennifer lives in St. Johns with her two daughters, Elizabeth, 19, and Emily 16.

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