Call for nominations for Farm Family of the Year

Wright, McLeod, and Meeker Counties

The Farm Family -Recognition Program honors farm families from throughout Minnesota for their contributions to the agriculture industry and their local communities. This program exists through the continued support of and coordination by the University of Minnesota Extension, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource -Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Each year, one family from each Wright, McLeod, and Meeker County are recognized as Farm Families of the Year. To select the families, we solicit nominations from key stakeholders and agribusinesses in the community. The nominations are then reviewed by the Wright, McLeod or Meeker County Extension Committee Farm Family of the Year sub-committee; who is responsible for selecting the new Farm Family of the Year. 

At this time, we ask you to complete the nomination form for Wright, McLeod and/or Meeker County, indicating the individuals, couples, or families whom you feel would be deserving of this honor. A link to the nomination form is provided below. Recipients will be recognized during the state-wide Farmfest awards program, and locally during the county fair.

Nomination criteria

Please nominate an individual or family, using the criteria below. Farm Families should:

• Be Minnesota food -producers actively involved in agricultural production with one or more agricultural enterprises. Beyond the usual agricultural endeavors, please also include these production areas for consideration: potato, vegetable, fruits, berries, aquaculture, agroforestry, and renewable energy supplies. 

or

• Have made significant short-term progress and/or innovative contributions with their agricultural enterprises. For example, consider producers who are relatively new to this country, someone who has developed an innovative method for a particular environmental problem, adopted a rotational grazing system, added alternative or value-added crops, etc. 

All nominees should also: 

• Have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing and supporting the fields of agriculture and production. 

• Have some involvement in their communities and/or related organizations. 

• Not have been previously recognized by the Farm Family Program. 

Please utilize the nomination form to nominate future farm families for recognition. Send your completed nomination form to the county in which the nominee lives (Wright, McLeod and/or Meeker County) by Friday, March 14. If you have any questions in Wright County, please contact Karen Johnson at ande9495@umn.edu or (320) 484-4303. In McLeod County, please contact Emily Lindenfelser at hans6005@umn.edu or (612) 394.6302. In Meeker County, please contact Taylor Herbert at therbert@umn.edu or (612) 394.5229. Thank you for your help.

The nomination form may be found at z.umn.edu/WMM FarmFamily.