Several Manchester farmers receive Farm Bureau awards

Submitted by Kathleen Siler, Washtenaw County Farm Bureau

During the Washtenaw County Farm Bureau annual meeting on Monday, September 17, at Weber’s in Ann Arbor, several Manchester residents were recognized for their service to the organization. Earl and Diane Horning were awarded the Outstanding Service to Agriculture; Matthew and Kathleen Noggle received the Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year award; and Lynda Horning was honored as the Volunteer of the Year.

Earl and Diane Horning received the Outstanding Service to Agriculture award from Grant Reiff, President of the Washtenaw County Farm Bureau.

Outstanding Service to Agriculture – Earl & Diane Horning

The Outstanding Service to Agriculture award recognizes someone who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to our local agriculture. Earl and Diane Horning have been Washtenaw County Farm Bureau members for over fifty years. They have not only made exceptional contributions to our local agriculture community, but also across the state and nation.

Diane joined the Farm Bureau Woman’s Committee in 1964. Several years later, she was appointed to be the district Woman’s Committee Representative. She eventually became what would be the last chairperson of this committee. In 1985 she was appointed to the state study committee of women that eventually guided Michigan to become the first state Farm Bureau in the nation to form its own Promotion & Education (P&E) Committee in 1986. Diane served on the Michigan Farm Bureau State P&E Committee from 2010-2016. In 2013, Diane and representatives of other state P&E committees nationwide met with American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman in New York and persuaded him to push for the formation of a national P&E Committee at the 2014 AFBF National Convention.

Along with her service to the P&E Program, Diane also served several years as district representative on the Michigan Farm Bureau Board.

Earl served on Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) Advisory Committee from 1969 to 1999. He then was elected to MMPA board of directors in 2000 and served until 2012. Earl was MMPA representative on the United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM) Board from 1997 to 2012. In 1997, he became a director of the national dairy promotion organization, Dairy Management, Inc. Under Earl’s leadership, UDIM launched a successful milk vending machine program in the state. Through this program schools were able to purchase milk vending machines in an effort to keep milk cold and available throughout the day. Earl also champions programs like the school breakfast programs, three-a-day programs and the launch of the “Fuel up to Play 60” program. In 2011, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board honored him with Richard E. Lyng Award for his dedication and distinguished service to dairy promotion.

In 2010, Earl, Diane, and their family hosted the third Breakfast on the Farm program in the state and the first in southeast Michigan. The event welcomed more than 2,000 people on to the Horning’s farm.

Over the years, Earl and Diane have earned many different honors and recognitions. In 1970, they were MMPA’s Outstanding Young Dairy Couple. In, 1993 they were the Dairy Herd Improvement Associations Progressive Dairy of the Year. They were named Michigan Dairy Farmer of the Year in 2010. In 2011, Earl received Washtenaw County Dairy Livestock Council’s Distinguished Service to Agriculture. Earl has been on several local committees including the Manchester Board of Education and the County Land Use Committee. Diane has served as an MMPA Dairy Communicator. They both are active members in Zion Lutheran Church of Chelsea.

Earl and Diane’s service to agriculture, not only locally but nationally, is exceptional and demonstrates a lifetime of service and volunteerism!

Kathleen & Matt Noggle, Young Farmers of the Year. Pictured with Grant Reiff, President of Washtenaw County Farm Bureau.

Young Farmer of the Year – Matt & Kathleen Noggle

Young Farmer of the Year is awarded to a Washtenaw County Farm Bureau member that is 35 or younger and whose efforts have made a difference to our local agriculture.

Matt and Kathleen Noggle moved to Washtenaw County about two years ago to be more involved in Matt’s family’s beef farm. Matt and Kathleen have jumped right in; becoming involved in Farm Bureau and the community.

Matt and Kathleen serve as co-chairs of the county’s Young Farmer Committee. They have made great improvements to the committee, including holding regular monthly meetings for the group. Also, in October the Young Farmer Committee will be hosting a Harvest Dinner to connect local farmers with non-agriculture moms and families who may have questions about their food and what goes into the process of producing it.

Both Matt and Kathleen are also active members of the Promotion & Education Committee. They have not only volunteered at various events, but they have also helped plan and execute events. For example, they worked to secure many new locations for the agriculture display boards and educational, restaurant table-tents that were displayed at libraries, banks and local restaurants during National Ag Week.

Volunteer of the Year – Lynda Horning

Lyn Horning, Farm Bureau Volunteer of the Year, is pictured with Grant Reiff, President of Washtenaw County Farm Bureau.

The Volunteer of the Year award is given to a Washtenaw County Farm Bureau Volunteer who has gone above and beyond throughout the past year. The recipient has exhibited a commitment to a specific program or event in their local community and are instrumental to the success of that event or program.

Throughout the entire year, Lynda has dedicated countless hours serving the agriculture community. She chairs the county’s Promotion & Education Committee, for which she hosts monthly meetings, and helps coordinate the committee’s programs, including award-winning events like the Ag-vocacy Pancake Breakfast, Proud Farmer t-shirt campaign, and the P&E Fall Kick-Off Dinner.

Lynda is also one of the chairs for the annual Project RED event. This wonderful agriculture promotion event takes months of planning and significant commitment to coordinate. Lynda is always looking for ways to get more people involved in Farm Bureau, whether that be getting new members to join Farm Bureau, encouraging people to run for the county board, recruiting new Project RED volunteers, or growing the P&E Committee.

Congratulations to all of these outstanding farmers, helping to keep Manchester’s agricultural heritage alive and well!

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.