Two individuals who have made significant contributions to agriculture and Farm Bureau were honored by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. The 2022 Distinguished Service Award recipients are Judy Loudenslager of Marion County and Terry McClure of Paulding County.
Both honorees were recognized for lifetime achievements that benefited Ohio's farming community. The awards were presented Thursday in Columbus at the 104th annual meeting of Ohio Farm Bureau.
Judy Loudenslager (posthumous)
A native of Marion County, Loudenslager and her husband, Roy, are well known in the community where the family farm continues to thrive. Many remember Judy from her term on the Ohio Farm Bureau board of trustees, where she represented the Northwest Region from 2005 to 2012. In addition to being a state Farm Bureau trustee, she was a former Marion County Farm Bureau president. Over the years, she was a member of the Ohio Agri-Women, Ohio Flying Farmers, Marion County Republican Central Committee, Marion County Republican Women's Club, and she had been a 4-H advisor. She was an active member of the Epworth United Methodist Church, where she served as Sunday School teacher, and their ladies' circles. The matriarch of her family, Loudenslager was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother. She was full of life, always welcoming and doing something for someone else. Judy had a special way about her, where she made you feel like the most important person in the world.
Terry McClure
Born and raised in Paulding County, McClure grew up the fifth generation on McClure Farms which he now shares with his son, Ryan. McClure Farms produces corn, soybeans and wheat and maintains swine and cattle operations. Terry started a grain hauling and grain purchasing business in 1978 and, that same year, he joined Farm Bureau. He served as a Paulding County board trustee in the late 1980s, was elected to the Ohio Farm Bureau board of trustees in 1995, and was elected state president in 2000. He also served on the American Farm Bureau board of directors as well as the board of Farm Bureau Bank. In 2004, he was elected to the Nationwide board and retired from the board this year. He is the former board chairman of Farmland Mutual Insurance Company and Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Company and has held leadership roles with the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers board, Ohio Soybean Council and the Soy Transportation Coalition. Candidates for the awards are nominated by Farm Bureau volunteers, county organizations and state leaders.
Categories: Ohio, General