American Agriculturist Logo

Nominations for 2023 Mid-Atlantic Master Farmers are now being accepted.

Chris Torres, Editor, American Agriculturist

September 23, 2022

1 Min Read

Master Farmers aren’t just superb farmers. They are also savvy businesspeople, excellent stewards of resources and leaders in the community.

Think about someone who has inspired you over the years. It could be a neighbor, your mother or father, a sibling, or someone you’ve served with on a board.

Less than 1% of all farmers in the mid-Atlantic region have been bestowed the honor of Master Farmer over the years. It’s the “gold standard” award that recognizes a farmer’s achievements on and off the farm.

Now’s the time to nominate 2023 Master Farmer candidates. We’re looking for great candidates from the five-state Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer region of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

It doesn’t matter how big or small the farm is. We’re just looking for the most qualified candidates for this prestigious award.

While farm couples or partners may be nominated, farm family businesses don’t qualify. This award recognizes outstanding individuals.

Nominations for the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer Award are due Jan. 1, 2023. But the sooner we get names, the better.  

Fill out an online application here.

Email your nominations — include name, complete address and contact information — to [email protected], or send it by mail to Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer Program, P.O. Box 734, Richland, PA  17087.

The Master Farmer Award is co-sponsored by American Agriculturist and Cooperative Extensions in the five mid-Atlantic states.

About the Author(s)

Chris Torres

Editor, American Agriculturist

Chris Torres, editor of American Agriculturist, previously worked at Lancaster Farming, where he started in 2006 as a staff writer and later became regional editor. Torres is a seven-time winner of the Keystone Press Awards, handed out by the Pennsylvania Press Association, and he is a Pennsylvania State University graduate.

Torres says he wants American Agriculturist to be farmers' "go-to product, continuing the legacy and high standard (former American Agriculturist editor) John Vogel has set." Torres succeeds Vogel, who retired after 47 years with Farm Progress and its related publications.

"The news business is a challenging job," Torres says. "It makes you think outside your small box, and you have to formulate what the reader wants to see from the overall product. It's rewarding to see a nice product in the end."

Torres' family is based in Lebanon County, Pa. His wife grew up on a small farm in Berks County, Pa., where they raised corn, soybeans, feeder cattle and more. Torres and his wife are parents to three young boys.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like