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Timm, Summers honored with Ag Hall of Fame awards
A pair of longtime fixtures in the local agriculture community were honored at the conclusion of the 2019 Ag Day Breakfast Saturday at the Putnam County Fairgrounds.
Eugene Summers was named the Farmer of the Year, while Larry Timm received the Friend of the Farmer award.
The awards were presented by Ag Day committee members Jenna Nees and Steve Cash.
Timm was introduced as a one-time ag teacher and FFA adviser who never really stopped teaching, even after he made a career change.
An educator by trade for five years, Timm moved his family to Putnam County to work for Pioneer Hybrids, which he did for 35 years. Upon retirement, Timm became a farm consultant in a three-county area.
Throughout his experiences, Timm has remained a proponent of soil conservation, no-till and cover crops.
Additionally, Nees emphasized that Timm's involvement with education did not end when he left teaching. He has remained an FFA coach and judge at the local, district, state and national levels.
He often judges in the areas of job interviewing, sales and parliamentary procedure, as well as coaching the parliamentary procedure team for South Putnam High School
"Likewise, his children would say that he started as a teacher and even though he moved them to Putnam County he never stopped teaching," Nees said. "Instead his class size just got very small and now thankfully he has moved that passion for teaching to his grandchildren."
It was one of those grandchildren, North Putnam senior Mary Timm, who played a big role in getting her grandfather to the event on Saturday.
"We've been wintering in Florida for the last couple of years and I've been flimflammed into being up here," Timm said. "It was presented to me as an award for my granddaughter Mary, and that she wanted me to present it to her. So I told my wife, 'I guess I'm going to Indiana.' And she told me, no, we were going to Indiana."
While Timm perhaps had his suspicions that something was up with so many family members present, he was overwhelmed by the honor just the same.
"I've always been a huge proponent for agriculture so receiving this award is very good," he said. "I don't know what to say and it's rare for me to be caught without words. But this has done it."
In naming Summers as the Farmer of the Year, Nees described someone else who has tried to stay involved with family and community events even after his children grew up.
"The 2019 Farmer of the Year is active within the community he lives in and continues to visit the Putnam County Fair annually to watch relatives show livestock like his children did in the 1990s," Nees said.
Summers' background goes much farther back, though, with Nees pointing out that he was born into a farming family, therefore he starting farming at three years old. From there, he worked at the Brazil Co-op during high school, putting on nitrogen. He also farmed with his dad and grandpa in Clay and Parke counties.
In 1966, Summers bought 212 acres of his own in Washington Township and began farming part-time. Seven years later, he started renting land from neighbors and farming became a full-time job.
Over the years, Summers' endeavors have included raising corn and soybeans, as well as pigs and shorthorn cattle.
The pigs are now gone but the cattle remain, just one of many changes over the years.
"Throughout time, the farm has continued to grow and adjust as needed with the changing times," Nees said. "From no-till farming in the 1990s to increased acreage and technology use today, this individual's farming career has spanned over 50 years.
"I am happy to hear his family say that he has no plan to retire any time soon," Nees continued.
In his brief appearance on stage, Summers had few words, but expressed his appreciation.
"I'd like to thank my family and Steve and Jenna for putting this together," Summer said. "Thank you all."
The awards were the conclusion of a program that featured Indiana Farm Bureau Regional Manager Keegan Poe, who gave a brief history of Indiana Farm Bureau, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month.
During his talk, Poe emphasized the symbiotic relationship that exists between the Farm Bureau and the Cooperative Extension Service.
"I don't think Farm Bureau could exist without Cooperative Extension and I don't think Cooperative Extension would exist without Farm Bureau."
Additionally, with the Greencastle boys' basketball team set to play in regional action shortly after the conclusion of the program, Poe acknowledged that many in the audience probably had divided attention.
"We'll go through all this and at the end we'll have a quiz," Poe joked. "If you pass the quiz, you can go to the basketball game."
The morning concluded with the Mini Farm Fest for the last two hours of the Ag Day celebration.
The Farmer/Farm Family of the Year has been awarded since 1983. The past winners include: 1983-Ezra and Worth Arnold, 1984-Franklin and Eva Torr, 1985-Doris and Clova Salsman, 1986-Leonard and Gertrude Mann, 1987-Jack and Ella Marie Torr, 1988-Ed and Barbara Brookshire, 1989-Bill and Helen Hurst, 1990-Noble and Edith Fry, 1991-Bill and Ruth Wright, 1992-Paul and Ruth Carrington, 1993-Bob and Joan Rissler, 1994-Max Nichols, 1995-John and Marjorie Cash, 1996-Bill and Jean Rowings,1997-James and Lillian Price, 1998-Morris and Jacque McGaughey, 1999-Kenneth and Marlene Ames, 2000-John and Grace Torr, 2001-Morris and Wanda Hurst, 2002-Alice Cantonwine, 2003-Byron and Caroline Gough, 2004-Fred and Linda Mann, 2005-Larry and Elizabeth Jones, 2006-Virgil and Loretta Arnold, 2007-Mark and Phyllis Legan, 2008-Keith Berry, 2009-Mike and Sandy Rissler, 2010-Ron and Jane Alcorn, 2011-Jack Berry, 2012-Gene and Alice Beck, 2013-Dale McGaughey, 2014-Larry Gottschalk, 2015-Harl Peters, 2016-Phil and Janice Fry, 2017-Ron and Sherry Cash and 2018-Rodger and Paula Sutherlin.
The Friend of the Farmer was first awarded in 1990. The list of winners includes: 1990-Kenny Harris, 1991-Gene Aker, 1992-David Barr, 1993-Marvin Evens, 1994-Ed Neary, 1995-Paul Jackson, 1996-George Murphey, 1997-Jim and Pat Sheldon, 1998-Ken Torr, 1999-Vernie Zeiner, 2000-Betty Sendmeyer, 2001-Mace Aker, 2002-Jinsie Bingham, 2003-Darrel Thomas, 2004-Shirley Ruark, 2005-Bob Wehrman, 2006-Larry Bottorf, 2007-Saraellen Peters, 2008-Ken Carrington, 2009-David Greenburg, 2010-Melvin Nicholson, 2011-Roger Bailey, 2012-Rodger Winger, 2013-Laura Lee Baugh, 2014-Al Royer, 2015-Sara Ellen Peters, 2016-Dr. John Scamahorn, 2017-Sue Crafton and 2018-Jim Baird.