News

Hoosiers go Beyond the Fence

The Beck’s Hybrids Beyond the Fence awards recognize Hoosiers for the outstanding support and promotion of Indiana agriculture.  The awards are sponsored by Beck’s Hybrids in conjunction with the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Growers Association.  Scott Beck, vice president of Beck’s Hybrids says, “Whether they are preparing students for the future, advocating at the Indiana Statehouse, telling the story of agriculture through words, or contributing to the community, their passion toward Indiana agriculture is unparalleled.” 

The four award recipients honored for their outstanding contributions to Indiana agriculture are:

•             John G. Baugh of West Lafayette, Ind. received the Friend of Indiana Agriculture award for outstanding contributions to agriculture by a non-farmer. Baugh is director of agricultural services and regulation for Purdue University’s College of Agriculture.

•             Tom Bechman of Franklin, Ind. received the Ag Media award for excellence in reporting about Indiana agriculture. Bechman is the editor of The Indiana Prairie Farmer and has been with the company since 1981.

•             Robert W. Bishop of Leesburg, Ind. received the Community Betterment award, which recognizes a farmer for outstanding contributions to the community through philanthropic, service, volunteerism, donations and/or leadership projects. He is a farmer in Kosciusko County.

•             Randy Warren of North Webster, Ind. received the Ag Education Outreach award for his outstanding contribution to Indiana agricultural education. Warren recently retired from Wawasee High School after teaching agricultural education for nearly 40 years.

Herb Ringel, ICGA president and a farmer from Wabash, Ind. says, “These four individuals are using their time and talents to help our industry grow, as well as make a difference in their communities.”

The awards were presented at the Indiana Livestock, Forage, and Grain Forum earlier this week in Indianapolis.