Last night my husband and I had the pleasure of attending the 13th Annual Louisiana Farmer of the Year Banquet. This event was held at White Oak Plantation in Baton Rouge, La. The banquet is co-sponsored by the LA Agri-News Network, LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
The honor of Louisiana Farmer of the Year is a high honor, which was recently bestowed on one of our rice farmers – Mr. Richard Fontenot (2008) – from Ville Platte, Louisiana. Last night, as I rushed in out of the rain, I was greeted by Adam Berkin, the son of Jeff-Davis Parish rice farmer Kevin Berkin. Kevin was one of three finalist for the farmer of the year award. The other two finalists were Larry Fontenot, a sweet potato farmer from Ville Platte and William Stutts, a grain farmer from West Carroll Parish.
After comments from Commissioner Strain, Chancellor Richardson, and a warm welcome from the LA Agri-News Network, we were introduced to the featured speaker – Mr. Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Bob Stallman is a rice and cattle producer who hails from Columbus, Texas. Bob had done his research on the importance of agriculture to the economy of Louisiana. He made some interesting comments about the origins of commercial rice production, which began in southwest Louisiana. Seaman Knapp, USDA Scientist, was the first to introduce rice production to this part of the US. Land was secured and farmers were recruited from the northern climes of America. Many of those currently farming in southwest Louisiana have a heritage that goes back to this original group of farmers. Knapp’s vision for demonstrating farming practices on producer land, lead to the concept of the Cooperative Extension Service. Knapp also created the “corn clubs” which eventually developed into the 4-H program. Next time you are on the Baton Rouge Campus, you might want to stop by and visit Knapp Hall – which was named after the Father of the Extension Service. Knapp was also memorialized by the Knapp Arch at the USDA headquarters in Washington, DC. During my first visit to DC, I came out of the subway stop and the first thing I saw was the Knapp Arch. It really is a deserving memorial for a visionary man.
Mr. Stallman also talked about the possible impact of cap and trade legislation on American Farmers. He told us about a campaign that is currently underway. Farmers are being encouraged to take a farming ball cap (preferably a clean one), sign their name on the cap, and deliver it to their local legislature with the message “don’t cap our future”. It’s an interesting campaign that is having an impact. Bob also talked about the importance of farmers communicating with the public about the value of agriculture in America – he mentioned the AFBF Facebook fan page, of which I am a “fan”. Using this social media, they are reaching a new audience. If you are on facebook, you may want to visit the site, which posts important announcements about policy impacting agricultural production.
The evening climaxed with the announcement of the winner, Mr. Stutts was announced as the Louisiana Farmer of the Year. My heartfelt congratulations go out to Mr. Stutts, and the other nominees for farmer of the year. They are all great men, who have made significant contributions to agricultural production in Louisiana. All of these men were joined by their families and children, who are proudly following in their footsteps.
During concluding remarks, Don Molino, reminded us that “if you ate today, thank a farmer”. That’s a great message to share with the general public.
Natalie Hummel
Louisiana rice insects 