Have you considered nominating someone to be a 2018 Master Farmer? With applications due Sept. 1, now’s a great time to start thinking through names and collecting information.

And without a doubt, farmers who’ve been nominated testify that it’s an honor.

“I was very honored to be nominated, and to be named a Master Farmer was an awesome and yet humbling experience,” says Kent Kleinschmidt, 2017 Master Farmer from Emden. “It was very nice to be awarded for my many years of volunteering both inside and outside of agriculture. While I don't know everyone on the list of past winners, the ones I do know have been very deserving of the award. This was never a goal of mine; I just got involved and did my best.”

Tracy Jones, another 2017 Master Farmer, from Kirkland, concurs: “It is an honor to be nominated, especially by previous Master Farmers. To know that my local peers, who know me best, think that I am deserving of an honor like that is the greatest recognition I could ask for.”

He adds, “There are many outstanding Master Farmers before me, and to be mentioned in the same class as them is quite an honor.”

Prairie Farmer’s Master Farmer program is a grass-roots program. That means every nomination received comes from you, the readers. You all look around, see someone doing great work in producing food and fiber while also serving their community and raising their family, and you nominate them.

And don’t forget: You can also apply on your own, effectively nominating yourself. Many farmers submit their names each year.

The application also makes it clear that you can nominate or apply as an individual, or as a husband and wife. Siblings can also be nominated, as was the case for Doug and Tom Block, who farm in partnership and were named Master Farmers in 2009.

Find the application
You can find the 2018 application at PrairieFarmer.com/PrairieMasterFarmer. Download it, fill it out and send it in, complete with letters of support, by Sept. 1. Email [email protected] for more information or to have an application sent to you.