2011 Annual Convention
County Farm Bureaus recognized for excellence Farm Bureaus in the counties of Greene, Loudoun, Orange and Chesterfield were recognized Nov. 30 with Best in State Awards for their work in educating the public and promoting agriculture and Farm Bureau. Greene County Farm Bureau, led by President Joanne Burkholder, won in the category for membership acquisition. Loudoun County Farm Bureau, led by President Will Cockerill, won in the member involvement and retention category. Orange County Farm Bureau, led by President Jim Miller, captured honors for agriculture promotion or education targeting the public. Chesterfield County Farm Bureau, led by President Howard Nester Jr., was recognized for its governmental relations program.
Farm leader, property rights advocate honored with Distinguished Service Awards Retired VFBF board member Robert E. Hall of Northumberland County and state Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, were recognized Nov. 30 with Virginia Farm Robert E. Hall Bureau Federation Distinguished Service Awards. Hall raises corn, wheat, soybeans and oysters on 500 acres in Virginia’s Northern Neck region, as well as 1,500 acres of timber. A Farm Bureau member for 33 years, he served on the VFBF board from 1995 to 2010, representing producer members in the counties of Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond and Westmoreland. He is a past president and board member of the Northumberland-Lancaster County Farm Bureau, a member of the Virginia Small Grain Checkoff Board and the Virginia Agricultural Council Board, and
treasurer and past president of the FFA Young Farmers of Northumberland County. Obenshain has represented Harrisonburg and the counties of Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren in the General Assembly Mark Obenshain since 2003. In 2007, he was a chief patron of legislation that reformed Virginia’s eminent domain laws to protect property owners. In 2011, he was at the forefront of the battle for property owners to get protections enshrined in the state constitution. Obenshain has a 100 percent voting record in support of VFBF policy issues while serving on the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; Courts of Justice; Local Government; and Privileges and Elections committees, and he consistently has been endorsed by the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation AgPAC.
Young farmers honor organization’s vice president The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Committee honored VFBF Vice President Edward A. Scharer Edward A. Scharer of Albemarle County Nov. 29 with its 2011 Warren Beach Award for his long-standing
support of the Young Farmers Program. Scharer, a cattle, hog, row crop and forage producer, previously served three terms on the VFBF board of directors, representing producer members in the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Hanover, Henrico and Louisa.
“Mr. Scharer has always been a huge supporter of our efforts to grow the Young Farmer Program in Virginia,” said Young Farmers Committee Chairman Robert Harris. “He attends all of our functions and meetings and has always been a resource we could turn to for whatever we needed.”
Augusta County teacher wins Discussion Meet Christy Huffman Kerr, an agriculture teacher at Wilson Memorial High School in Augusta County, took top Christy honors Nov. 29 Huffman Kerr in Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Young Farmers Discussion Meet. VirginiaFarmBureau.com
First runner-up was Chris Van Vlack of Loudoun County. Other finalists were Jeremey Burner of Orange County and Katelyn Koontz of Augusta County. The Discussion Meet is a committeestyle discussion of a predetermined agricultural topic. Participants are judged on their ability to build consensus and work toward solutions. Kerr was awarded a John Deere Gator
utility vehicle, courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co.; $500, courtesy of VFBF; and $250, courtesy of the Virginia Farm Bureau Service Corp. She also will receive a trip to the 2012 winter conference for Farm Bureau Young Farmers from Virginia and Maryland in Leesburg. She will represent VFBF in the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet in Honolulu. january 2012
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