Dec. 5—A Delaware County woman was among the award winners at the New York Farm Bureau’s annual conference this week.
According to a Farm Bureau press release, more than 400 people attended the 68th annual conference in Verona, which took place December 3-5. According to the organizers, it was a record number of visitors.
The event included nine educational workshops focusing on zoning, permitting and assessments; changes in predictive weather science; advocating for agriculture; prosper through diversification; utilizing digital technologies; adaptive leadership in agriculture; adapting a systems approach to business performance; market diversification with Farm to School; and ensuring fire safety, the release said.
“The theme of this year’s convention, ‘Farming Forward,’ is critical to everything we do. We must embrace change to remain successful,” said David Fisher, president of the New York Farm Bureau. “That means fostering relationships with our agricultural partners, with the business community, with state legislators and with federal legislators. This way we bring everyone together to formulate policy, which is the cornerstone of our organization.”
Larry Weaver, a comedian, author and motivational speaker, was the keynote speaker. Weaver “underscored the importance of hope in the agricultural world and peppered his speech with personal anecdotes and positive messages,” the release said.
At the awards banquet Wednesday evening, two members received the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, the New York Farm Bureau’s highest honor, and two members received the James Quinn Memorial Award.
Robert Somers and Judi Whittaker were the winners of the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Awards. Somers, who worked for the Department of Agriculture and Markets for nearly 30 years before retiring, lives in Washington County, where he manages his family’s woodlot. Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Richard Ball presented the award. Whittaker, a third-generation owner of Whittaker Farms in Broome County, has been instrumental in advocating for safety measures for farmers, including the passage of legislation allowing New York air ambulances to transport life-saving blood products, the release said. Eric Ooms, vice president of the New York Farm Bureau, presented the award.
The James Quinn Award is named after the nation’s first Farm Bureau president, a native of Broome County. Awards were presented to Barb Hanselman of Bloomville, Delaware County, “a fierce advocate for farmers who have successfully challenged restrictive regulations,” according to the release, and Star Bashaw of Franklin County, who focuses on safety training for farmers.
The convention concluded with the annual meeting, a full day of elections and policy review. David Fisher was reelected president, while Kim Skellie was elected vice president.
Delegates from 52 provincial agricultural bureaus “had robust discussions on a variety of new policies, including issues related to maple, dairy, horses, labor and renewable energy,” the news release said. Delegates voted on policy positions that the New York Farm Bureau will advocate for at the state and federal levels. The state’s legislative priorities will be announced in January.
