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For Immediate Release: Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018
Award to be presented August 31 at the Heartland
Bank in Gowrie
DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced
that James and Jennifer Carlson from Webster County have been named the winners
of the Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award. The family raises swine and cattle
on their farm in addition to growing corn and soybeans.
Naig will present the award to the family on Friday, Aug.
31. The ceremony will be at the
Heartland Bank, 1201 Market St., in Gowrie. The “Big Show,” which airs on both WHO and WMT radio, will broadcast
live from the presentation from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“Congrats to James and Jennifer on being named Gary
Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award winners,” Naig said. “Livestock production is
so important to our state and rural communities and it is a great honor for me
to help recognize the Carlsons.”
The family was nominated for the award by Richard
Hubbard, who is their former veterinarian and also rents land to the family. In his nomination he cited the family’s
commitment to providing the best care for their animals, saying, “They have
very neat facilities that are well maintained. A mono-slope facility was
constructed for their cattle feeding and pigs are finished in state of the art
buildings.”
The family is also very active in the community, with Jim
serving on the local school board and on the Landus Cooperative board. The
family is also active in the Zion Lutheran Church in Gowrie.
The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award, made possible
through the financial support of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers,
recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in doing things right. This
includes caring for the environment and their livestock and being good
neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm
broadcaster who helped create the award.
Anyone interested in nominating their neighbor for the
award should write a letter or e-mail explaining why their neighbor should
receive this designation. Applications may be submitted to the Iowa
Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Attn: Wergin Good Farm Neighbor
Award, Henry A. Wallace Building, Des Moines, IA 50319 or emailed to Communications@iowaAgriculture.gov.
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For more information, contact Dustin Vande Hoef, (515) 281-3375 or (515) 326-1616 (cell) or Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
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