Mahoning Farm Bureau celebrates achievements

CANFIELD, Ohio — Mahoning County Farm Bureau celebrated a year of successful programs at its annual meeting. The county received Excellence Awards in the organization and public policy programming areas. It was also awarded the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation President’s Award for top overall programming.

Accepting the awards were Marjorie Yerman, public policy; Ralph Wince, organization; and David Kenreich, President’s Award.

Young farmers

Wayne and Sara Greier received the county’s Outstanding Young Farmer award. They operate Greier’s Ag Center and Old Country Store south of Canfield. The young couple has expanded the family business, which started in 1973 at Wayne’s parent’s kitchen table selling fertilizer and seed corn.

They have turned the former turkey farm and hatchery into an 800 acre grain and beef farm. The buildings have been remodeled and are used for storing agricultural supplies, plus the old hatchery building is now used for their retail business which offers a full line of agronomic and crop supplies and their own freezer beef.

Youth awards

A. J. Baltes and Hannah Zimmerman were named 2008 Outstanding Youth. Zimmerman is a senior at Lowellville High School and Baltes is a student at A.T.I. majoring in crop management and construction science.

Baltes and Kristi Moff received the Farm Bureau Agricultural Scholarship. Moff is a student at Bethany College majoring in biological sciences.

Elizabeth Moff was awarded the Alan J. Withers Agricultural and Leadership Scholarship. She is attending Ohio State University where she studies food science.

Delegates

During the meeting, members elected Tom Koch, Doug Martig, Ralph Wince and Marjorie Yerman as delegates to the 2009 Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting. Alternates are Lola Ann Kurtz and Ken O’Brock.

Also, elected to serve as trustees at large are Marguerite Gillern and Elaine Less. The alternate is Annie Houk.

Members voted on a set of county, state level and national policy resolutions.

The speaker for the evening was David White, senior director for policy research and development with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.