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Who’s been a Prairie Farmer Master Farmer? Here’s a look — plus Honorary Master Farmers.

Holly Spangler, Senior Editor, Prairie Farmer

March 8, 2019

2 Min Read
Jim Robbins, Boyd Schaufelberger, Bill Sahs, Marty Marr
JOINING RANKS: The 2019 class of Master Farmers joins an accomplished list of “who’s who” in Illinois agricultural production. This year’s honorees are Jim Robbins (left), Boyd Schaufelberger, Bill Sahs and Marty Marr.

The 2019 Master Farmer class joins Illinois’ best agricultural producers. Here’s a look at every Master Farmer and Honorary Master Farmer named by Prairie Farmer since the awards program was reinstated in 1968.

1968

Clarence Albriten

Glenn Brown

A.J. Cording

Arthur Essington

John Harber

Frank Kern

Jack Moran

William Travis

Harry Turley

Bob Yoder

1969

John Ammon

Dick Anson

Fred Baumberger

Jack Brown

Wayne Fell

Albert Gehlbach

Eddie Gilmore

Allen Hoffman

John Keller

John Kinscherff

Richard Muehling

Philip Snell

Albert Webb

William Wyffels

1970

John Albin

Bob Armstrong 

Edmund Daily

Dave Dickey Sr.

Carl Guebert

Ray Larson

Bill Pfeffer

Harold Steele

Daryle Tegeder 

1971

George Brauer

Jim Cravens

Ken Gorden

Walt Stemler

Wilbert Stevenson

Don Wilken

1972

Wayne Clark

Harold Council

Bob Gilmore

Russ Jeckel

Cornelius Rietveld

Dale Schaufelberger

Frank Simpson

1973

Bill Curry

Bill Furry

Laverne Johnson

Jim Monier

Al Unverfehrt

1974

Stewart Carlisle

Elliott Y. Johnson

Keith Jones

Harold Kuehn

Jack Rundquist

Richard Stone

1975

Lyle Grace

Paul McClure

Dale McKee

Wayne Maschhoff

Donald Morris

1976

John Beckett

Bob Hamilton

Paul Kermicle

Harold Rice

Lester Stone

Charles Weingart

1977

Carl Behme

Rollie Main

Carl Marriott

Wayne Niewold

Wilbur Paulus

1978

Paul Beetz

John Huftalin

Jerry King

Bill McFadden

Harold Milliman

Bob Provines

1979

Bill Baumgartner

Melvin Parkhurst

Leo Pfeiffer

Del Scheider

Roger Wegehenkel

Jim Willrett

1980

Wayne Heberer

Don Huftalin

John Irwin

Ken Riskedal

Elmo Springer

1981

Sherwood Danner

Charles Diehl

Kenneth Kesler

Willard Severns

Roger Steimel

Don Zimmerman

1982

Maurice DeSutter Jr.

Eldon Gould

Gilbert Hennenfent

Paul Montavon

Orlo Ruppert

1983

Allen Aves

Ross Gates

Virgil Rosendale

Richard Rubenacker

J. George Smith

Marvin Warner

1984

John Curtin

John Kellogg

Bill Lenschow

Dale Mowery

1985

George Helman

I. Ron Lawfer

Ralph Sloman

1986

Hilding Allen

Ned Brown

Richard Rayburn

William Taake

1987

Joe Bicknell

Neil Pistorius

Ken Rehn

Harold Stahl

1988

Preston Carson

Donald Grubb

Harry Herrmann

Robert Wilson

1989

Laverl Byers

Sonny Eddleman

Dean Ganschow

Glenn Meyer

1990

Leland Behnken

Tom Fenstermaker

Stephen Moser

Melvin Offenheiser

1991

Edward Arndt

Floyd Bohlen

James Smith

Levi Yoder

1992

Erval Borgic

Milo Thurston

Howard Vohland

Ronald Warfield

1993

Ernest Garbe

Gerald Hartmann

Norman Karg

Russell Stewart

Gary Timpner

1994

William Beeler

Gerald Carney

Ray Hankes

Edward Peterson

1995

Wilbert E. Buchholz

Dennis Endress

Larry Fesser

Keith C. Kesler

1996

Wayne Danekas

Mike Hennenfent

Dan Meinhart

Rollie Moore

1997

Jerry Bemis

Darrell Lasswell

John Reifsteck

Ralph Walter

1998

Bob Johnson

Melvin Schweizer

Leroy Scott

Duane Torrance

1999

Kendall Cole

Wayne Gleim

Marvin Perzee

Terry Wolf

2000

Gene Lane       

Richard Maloney

William Olthoff

Gene Youngquist

2001

Kent Krukewitt  

Philip Nelson

Wendell Shauman

Ralph Timpner

2002

Jack Erisman

Randy Newcomb

David Ruppert

Bob Thurston

2003

Henry Bullock

Brad Daugherty

David Erickson

Kevin Green

Randy Sims

2004

Stanley Blunier 

Lamar Fesser

Thomas Mueller

James Niewold

2005

Rollo Burnett    

Richard Martin

Doug Miller

Russell Rosenboom

2006

Richard Guebert

Steve Stierwalt

Jim Walter

Larry Wernsing

2007

David Downs

Ronald Fehr

Bill Gray

Henry Kallal

2008

Roger Allaman

Leon Corzine

Jim Patterson

Gary Wachtel

2009

Doug Block

Tom Block

Randy Lambdin

Rick Nelson

Kent Schleich

2010

Raymond E. Defenbaugh

Garry Niemeyer

Terry Pope

Jamie Willrett

2011

David C. Bliss

Ken Greene

Linnea Kooistra

Jim Purlee

Ron Tombaugh

2012

Scott Bidner

Tim Lenz

Tim Seifert

Mel Von Bergen

2013

Ron Bork

Neil Fearn

Doug Scheider

Jim Scheaffer

2014

Ronald Bremmer

Craig Buhrow

Michael J. Kenyon

Gregory M. Leigh

2015

Bill Christ

Randy DeSutter

Don Schrader

John Werries

2016

Mark and Karen DeDecker

Reggie and Norma Jean Dowell

Ron and Julie Lawfer

Bill and Brenda Raben

2017

Allen Entwistle

Tracy Jones

Kent Kleinschmidt

Joel Kooistra

2018

Tom Martin

Jim Rapp

Fred Reichert

Darell Sarff

2019

Martin E. Marr

Jim Robbins

Bill Sahs

Boyd Schaufelberger

Honorary Master Farmers

1972                                        

Charles L. Gunn

Robert J. Webb

1973

Harry G. Russell   

1974

Charles B. Shuman

1976

Earl M. Hughes

1977

George McKibben

John K. Morris

1978

G. R. Carlisle

1980

Harvey Woods

1986

J.M. Holcomb

1989

Nye Bouslog

1994

Len Gardner

2003

Orion Samuelson

2010

James F. Evans

2018

Max Armstrong

 

About the Author(s)

Holly Spangler

Senior Editor, Prairie Farmer, Farm Progress

Holly Spangler has covered Illinois agriculture for more than two decades, bringing meaningful production agriculture experience to the magazine’s coverage. She currently serves as editor of Prairie Farmer magazine and Executive Editor for Farm Progress, managing editorial staff at six magazines throughout the eastern Corn Belt. She began her career with Prairie Farmer just before graduating from the University of Illinois in agricultural communications.

An award-winning writer and photographer, Holly is past president of the American Agricultural Editors Association. In 2015, she became only the 10th U.S. agricultural journalist to earn the Writer of Merit designation and is a five-time winner of the top writing award for editorial opinion in U.S. agriculture. She was named an AAEA Master Writer in 2005. In 2011, Holly was one of 10 recipients worldwide to receive the IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Ag Journalism award. She currently serves on the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, the U of I Agricultural Communications Advisory committee, and is an advisory board member for the U of I College of ACES Research Station at Monmouth. Her work in agricultural media has been recognized by the Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Corn, Illinois Council on Agricultural Education and MidAmerica Croplife Association.

Holly and her husband, John, farm in western Illinois where they raise corn, soybeans and beef cattle on 2,500 acres. Their operation includes 125 head of commercial cows in a cow/calf operation. The family farm includes John’s parents and their three children.

Holly frequently speaks to a variety of groups and organizations, sharing the heart, soul and science of agriculture. She and her husband are active in state and local farm organizations. They serve with their local 4-H and FFA programs, their school district, and are active in their church's youth and music ministries.

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