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Banecks named 2025 Wisconsin Outstanding Young FarmersBanecks named 2025 Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmers

The Jefferson County, Wis., couple are honored for their commitment to agriculture.

Fran O'Leary, Senior Editor

January 27, 2025

2 Min Read
Lindsay and Eric Baneck of Helenville are the 2025 Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmers
OYF WINNERS: Lindsay and Eric Baneck of Helenville are the 2025 Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmers. Harlen Persinger

Lindsay and Eric Baneck of Helenville were selected as the 2025 Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmers during the 71st Annual Awards Weekend, Jan. 17-18. The 2025 event was held at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Marshfield, Wis.

Lindsay didn’t know she wanted to be a full-time farmer until her senior year in college, when her parents asked her to consider joining them in their cash crop, beef and produce business. After they graduated from college, Lindsay’s parents started Maple Mound Farms in Helenville. Lindsay grew up feeding calves, gathering eggs from their chickens, cleaning pens and helping with the family’s produce business, Jelli’s Market.

Today, Lindsay and Eric own 80 acres and use her parents’ equipment to run their land. Eric has his own business, but he helps on the farm and does repair work.

In 2019, Lindsay decided to step up to become the full-time manager of Jelli’s Market. She quickly assumed 100% of the management duties involved with the day-to-day operations. She oversees the planting and harvesting of 40 acres of fresh produce; hires, trains and supervises 20 seasonal employees; and does most of the bookwork and finances for Jelli’s Market.

Jelli’s Market has always provided a good way to promote agriculture to the nonfarming community, and sharing her knowledge about agriculture has always been Lindsay’s interest. Every summer and fall, the farm hosts hundreds of students from summer camps, day cares, classrooms and youth organizations

Related:Mary Schrieber settles into role as National FFA officer

OYF runners-up

Adam and Marie Vanden Wymelenberg, De Pere, Wis., were named the first runners-up, while Kyle and Janessa Olson, Shiocton, Wis., were named the second runners-up. Other finalists were: Matthew Holub, Boyd, Wis.; Patrick and Katie King, Edgar, Wis.; and Megan and Kyle Zeman, Luxemburg, Wis.

Sam and Brittany Olson, Chetek, Wis., were named the Speak Up for Ag winners.

Judges for the event were Steve Bodart, dairy business consultant with AgriGrowth Solutions; Matt Lippert, University of Wisconsin Extension regional dairy educator for Clark, Wood and Marathon counties; and Sam Zimmerman, crop and livestock farmer and the 2017 Wisconsin OYF and 2018 National OYF winner. Bob Meyer, retired farm broadcaster, served as master of ceremonies.

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Young Farmer

About the Author

Fran O'Leary

Senior Editor, Wisconsin Agriculturist

Fran O’Leary lives in Brandon, Wis., and has been editor of Wisconsin Agriculturist since 2003. Even though O’Leary was born and raised on a farm in Illinois, she has spent most of her life in Wisconsin. She moved to the state when she was 18 years old and later graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

Before becoming editor of Wisconsin Agriculturist, O’Leary worked at Johnson Hill Press in Fort Atkinson as a writer and editor of farm business publications and at the Janesville Gazette in Janesville as farm editor and a feature writer. Later, she signed on as a public relations associate at Bader Rutter in Brookfield, and served as managing editor and farm editor at The Reporter, a daily newspaper in Fond du Lac.

She has been a member of American Agricultural Editors’ Association (now Agricultural Communicators Network) since 2003.

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