Ohio Farm Bureau Young Agricultural Professional Stacie Anderson of Wood County is the winner of the 2023 American Farm Bureau Excellence in Agriculture Award. The contest was held as part of the 104th American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Excellence in Agriculture Award spotlights young Farm Bureau members who are agricultural enthusiasts but have not earned a majority of their income from an owned production agriculture enterprise in the past three years. Competitors are evaluated on their understanding of agricultural issues, leadership experiences and achievement, and their ability to communicate their agricultural story.
Anderson grew up on her family's farm raising corn, soybeans, wheat, and specialty crops, while participating in 4-H and FFA. She is a graduate of Ohio State University where she earned her undergraduate degree in agribusiness and applied economics and a master's degree in agricultural communications. She and her husband, Brian, grow corn, soybeans and wheat, as well as raise poultry for direct-to-consumer products and a small herd of beef cattle. Off the farm, Anderson is the agronomy sales manager for Legacy Farmers Cooperative, where she manages sales of all crop nutrients, chemicals, seeds, and precision products. She is the Ohio winner of the Excellence in Agriculture contest for 2022.
As the champion of the national contest, Anderson received a $35,000 credit toward a new Ford vehicle and paid registration to the AFBF FUSION Conference in Jacksonville, Florida, courtesy of Ford.
"For me, this achievement is about letting people like me, females and moms with an agriculture profession, know that you can still accomplish so much and be a great mom and grow your career," Anderson said. "Ohio Farm Bureau has been such a great vehicle for me to be able to do that, and I hope that my success in this contest inspires someone else to take that chance too."
The Excellence in Agriculture contest is part of the Ohio Farm Bureau Young Agricultural Professionals and American Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher programs. Participants are ages 18 to 35, single or married, who are interested in improving the business of agriculture, learning new ideas and developing leadership skills.
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