Mini grants, Friend of Agriculture Awards

Audrain County Farm Bureau held its annual meeting Tuesday night with presentations to three local teachers and three state representatives.

The meeting opened with Callie Cox singing the National Anthem and leading those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.

After the meal, prepared by Joann Roth and Erma Wrye, Janis Deimeke, president, served as mistress of ceremonies for the meeting.

Deimeke also presented the Friend of Agriculture Award to State Representatives John Cauthorn, Jay Houghton and Paul Quinn. "This award is in recognition of Representatives Cauthorn, Houghton and Quinn's voting record on issues of importance to agriculture, their working relationship with farmers in the Audrain County Farm Bureau, and their willingness to take a leadership role in representing Missouri Agriculture," stated Deimeke.

The Farm Bureau Friend of Agriculture program was initiated in 1996 and is designed to give appropriate recognition to legislators serving in the Missouri House of Representatives who are especially supportive of agriculture.

Out of the 67 recipients three were from this area. "We are proud to have three Representatives in this area to receive this award," said Deimeke.

Deimeke also presented mini grants to three teachers for $250 each. Vanessa Kerr, first grade teacher at St. Brendan Catholic School (who received two grants); Jane Duffner, seventh and eight grade science teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School; and Kayla Long, first grade teacher at McMillan Elementary School. Each teacher told how the money would be used in her classroom. Kerr will use hers for projects titled "Pasta, Pasta," and "Cooking Through Curriculum." Duffner will use hers for "Can Genetics Be Altered"; and Long will use hers to take her class on a field trip to Binders Orchard titled "Apples, Apples Everywhere."

Chris Chinn who resides on her family's hog farm near Clarence with her husband Kevin and their two children Rachelle and Conner, was the featured speaker for the evening. Chinn is active in Farm Bureau and served four years on the Missouri Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, is a current member of the Board of Directors for Missouri Farm Bureau, and has or is currently serving on multiple farm related boards and committees.

In her introduction of Chinn, Barb Wilson had this to say: "She is a phenomenal advocate for agriculture."

Chinn stated she talks to everyone she can about the importance of agriculture. She added activists like to tell the story for the farmer via the Internet and this is the way people who live in big cities learn about farmers which she explained was not always accurate. "We need to do a better job in educating the consumer about agriculture."

She told the guests she and her husband have made a practice of starting up a conversation with people, no matter where they are, on why they do what they do on the farm. "We need to reach out to people," she encouraged her fellow famers.

Also during the meeting Deimeke announced the board collected $500 in memory of the late Kenneth Roth to donate to the Audrain County 4-H Board.