Todd Feenstra, a water expert, will join us to discuss a variety of issues including water quantity, monitoring and more.
Meet the Indiana Farm Bureau leadership and staff working to support Indiana agriculture.
Anyone can be a member of Indiana Farm Bureau. Join more than 260,000 member-families supporting Indiana agriculture and rural communities.
Contact:
Colleen Baker
317-692-7822
317-242-8907
cbaker@infb.org
(Indianapolis) – August 28, 2021 –Ryan and Marie Hilton of Jasper County and Jacob and Jill Smoker of LaPorte County are the winners of two of Indiana Farm Bureau’s top awards for Young Farmers & Ag Professionals - the Excellence in Agriculture Award and the Achievement Award.
Two panels of judges evaluated this year’s participants. Excellence in Agriculture candidates were judged on their involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, as well as their involvement and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations. The Achievement Award candidates were judged on their leadership abilities and what they have achieved with their farms.
Winners and finalists will be formally recognized during the INFB state convention in December. Learn more about this year’s winners below.
Ryan and Marie Hilton, Jasper County
The Hiltons have been around agriculture their whole lives. Marie grew up on her family’s seed corn farm, and Ryan grew up helping friends work on their family farms. Ryan works for Belstra Milling Company, a feed mill and transport company that deals primarily with hogs. He has worked at the company for 15 years on the maintenance crew, delivering feed to farms, and currently as the livestock transport driver and logistics coordinator. He wears many hats and is responsible for all communication in preparation for hogs to be picked up and delivered across the country. Marie holds a bachelor’s degree in education. For over six years, she has provided daycare for friends and neighbors in the farming community, as well as taking care of the Hiltons’ own children. Marie recently accepted a teaching position at Covenant Christian High School teaching ag science.
“In the next five years, we have dreams of starting our own livestock transport business,” said Marie. “We want to be able to help keep the food chain link unbroken.”
Ryan and Marie are members of the Jasper County Farm Bureau board. They both served as YF&AP State Committee representatives from 2017 to 2019.
“The best thing about being on the committee was making those connections and being able to advocate for those who may not have a voice of their own, or who may not have the time to go out and advocate for themselves,” said Ryan. “Farm Bureau and the state committee have provided us with tools and resources to be that voice of agriculture.”
Learn more about the Hiltons here.
Jacob and Jill Smoker, LaPorte County
The Smokers’ family farm consists of a row crop and cattle operation. Jacob manages the day-to-day tasks at Smoker Farms, including crop contracting and overseeing feed truck deliveries, and medical crews. Along with the support of Jake’s father, Jill also helps out by scouting, picking up parts and running equipment. Jill has a full-time job as an art teacher at Chesterton High School, teaching digital design, drawing and jewelry.
Jacob and Jill are heavily involved with Farm Bureau. Jacob is the current vice president of his county board, and both Jacob and Jill served as YF&AP State Committee representatives from 2017 to 2019, with Jacob serving as chair of the committee in 2019.
“We are so grateful we had that opportunity,” said Jill. “Some of my favorite memories were from the time spent getting to know the greater ag community and connecting with them about the highs and lows that you can face on the farm.”
Jacob and Jill met as high schoolers in 4-H and both attended Purdue University where Jacob earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and horticultural production & marketing. Jill received her bachelor’s degree in visual art education and earned a master’s degree in education. The Smokers now have two young children.
“When I think about the future of the farm, I think about starting to transition from myself to my son and my daughter,” said Jacob. “It’s about growing the farm in a sustainable way and making sure they are set up to succeed when they are ready to take over the operation.”
Learn more about the Smokers here.
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About Indiana Farm Bureau: For more than 100 years, Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) has promoted agriculture in Indiana through public education, member engagement, and by advocating for agricultural and rural needs. As the state’s largest general farm organization, INFB works diligently to ensure a farmer’s right to farm—protecting the livelihood, land, equipment, animals and crops of Hoosier farmers—because agriculture is vital to Indiana’s economy. Learn more at INFB.org.
Contact:
Colleen Baker
317-692-7822
317-242-8907
cbaker@infb.org
(Indianapolis) – August 28, 2021 –Ryan and Marie Hilton of Jasper County and Jacob and Jill Smoker of LaPorte County are the winners of two of Indiana Farm Bureau’s top awards for Young Farmers & Ag Professionals - the Excellence in Agriculture Award and the Achievement Award.
Two panels of judges evaluated this year’s participants. Excellence in Agriculture candidates were judged on their involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, as well as their involvement and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations. The Achievement Award candidates were judged on their leadership abilities and what they have achieved with their farms.
Winners and finalists will be formally recognized during the INFB state convention in December. Learn more about this year’s winners below.
Ryan and Marie Hilton, Jasper County
The Hiltons have been around agriculture their whole lives. Marie grew up on her family’s seed corn farm, and Ryan grew up helping friends work on their family farms. Ryan works for Belstra Milling Company, a feed mill and transport company that deals primarily with hogs. He has worked at the company for 15 years on the maintenance crew, delivering feed to farms, and currently as the livestock transport driver and logistics coordinator. He wears many hats and is responsible for all communication in preparation for hogs to be picked up and delivered across the country. Marie holds a bachelor’s degree in education. For over six years, she has provided daycare for friends and neighbors in the farming community, as well as taking care of the Hiltons’ own children. Marie recently accepted a teaching position at Covenant Christian High School teaching ag science.
“In the next five years, we have dreams of starting our own livestock transport business,” said Marie. “We want to be able to help keep the food chain link unbroken.”
Ryan and Marie are members of the Jasper County Farm Bureau board. They both served as YF&AP State Committee representatives from 2017 to 2019.
“The best thing about being on the committee was making those connections and being able to advocate for those who may not have a voice of their own, or who may not have the time to go out and advocate for themselves,” said Ryan. “Farm Bureau and the state committee have provided us with tools and resources to be that voice of agriculture.”
Learn more about the Hiltons here.
Jacob and Jill Smoker, LaPorte County
The Smokers’ family farm consists of a row crop and cattle operation. Jacob manages the day-to-day tasks at Smoker Farms, including crop contracting and overseeing feed truck deliveries, and medical crews. Along with the support of Jake’s father, Jill also helps out by scouting, picking up parts and running equipment. Jill has a full-time job as an art teacher at Chesterton High School, teaching digital design, drawing and jewelry.
Jacob and Jill are heavily involved with Farm Bureau. Jacob is the current vice president of his county board, and both Jacob and Jill served as YF&AP State Committee representatives from 2017 to 2019, with Jacob serving as chair of the committee in 2019.
“We are so grateful we had that opportunity,” said Jill. “Some of my favorite memories were from the time spent getting to know the greater ag community and connecting with them about the highs and lows that you can face on the farm.”
Jacob and Jill met as high schoolers in 4-H and both attended Purdue University where Jacob earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and horticultural production & marketing. Jill received her bachelor’s degree in visual art education and earned a master’s degree in education. The Smokers now have two young children.
“When I think about the future of the farm, I think about starting to transition from myself to my son and my daughter,” said Jacob. “It’s about growing the farm in a sustainable way and making sure they are set up to succeed when they are ready to take over the operation.”
Learn more about the Smokers here.
###
About Indiana Farm Bureau: For more than 100 years, Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) has promoted agriculture in Indiana through public education, member engagement, and by advocating for agricultural and rural needs. As the state’s largest general farm organization, INFB works diligently to ensure a farmer’s right to farm—protecting the livelihood, land, equipment, animals and crops of Hoosier farmers—because agriculture is vital to Indiana’s economy. Learn more at INFB.org.
Learn more about Indiana Farm Bureau programs
Agriculture in the Classroom is a grassroots agricultural outreach program for school children in grades Pre-K through 12, facilitated by Indiana Farm Bureau and coordinated nationwide by the United States Department of Agriculture. This program helps kids understand where the food they eat is grown and how important farmers are to their daily lives.
Learn More
Indiana Farm Bureau has robust advocacy efforts at the local, state and national levels. While INFB's well-respected lobbyists push through state legislation, on-the-ground teams assists individual farmers with local concerns. Staff, leadership and volunteer members also advocate in Washington to make sure federal policy favors farmers and agriculture.
Indiana Farm Bureau's Young Farmers and Ag Professionals program is dedicated to finding those who have a passion for agriculture and a hunger to learn more. We cultivate members to become the next generation of agricultural leaders through leadership development, awards and competitions and networking.
Learn More about YF&APIndiana Farm Bureau members have access to more than 250,000 discounts
Your Indiana Farm Bureau membership gives you access to more than 250,000 offers such as discounts on hotels, rental cars, vacations, flowers, restaurants, movies, electronics, equipment, vehicles and more. Using just one of these offers can save you more than the cost of your annual membership.
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