By Adam Austing, University of Minnesota Extension
University of Minnesota Extension is accepting nominations for the 2022 Wright County Farm Family of the Year.
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 University of Minnesota Extension, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Each year, a family from Wright County is recognized as the Farm Family of the Year. To select the families, we solicit nominations from the agribusinesses in the community. The nominations are then forwarded to the selection committees who select the new Farm Family. At this time, we are accepting nominations, indicating the individuals, couples, or families whom you feel would be deserving of this honor. Links to the nomination forms are provided below. Recipients will be recognized during the state-wide Farmfest awards program.
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, agriforestry, and renewable energy supplies.
OR
Have made significant short‐term progress and/or innovative contributions with their agricultural endeavors. 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.
Nominations will be accepted until Friday, March 25. To initiate the nomination process, please reach out to Adam Austing at the Wright County Extension office by calling (763) 682-7381 or emailing aausting@umn.edu.