from Dan Miller, Progressive Farmer, Senior Editor
DTN/The Progressive Farmer added five new honorees to its America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers program. The class of 2017 was introduced during an Ag Summit lunchtime event held in their honor.
Now entering its eighth year, the program recognizes young farmers and ranchers who are building successful and innovative agricultural businesses. The award also recognizes the work they do to promote agriculture and have a positive impact in their communities. The 2017 class joins 31 past honorees.
Among the newest members of the America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers program one is a local from Tarkio and another is Rock Port resident, Rich Dehirst’s cousin:
Angelo Erickson, 39, Erickson Farms, Tarkio – Angelo Erickson farms 4,200 acres in northwest Missouri and helps to manage another 4,000 acres owned by his father, Dennis. The Ericksons are predominately white-corn producers, selling about 1 million bushels a year to buyers in the U.S., Europe, South Korea, New Zealand, and Mexico.
“I hope one day I can be half the farmer my dad has become,” Erickson said. “No school could have come close to teaching me the important lessons he has. His words have always been ‘try your best.’ I know that whatever life throws at me he will always be there to push me through it.”
Erickson is married to Lori and they have two boys, Alex, 9, and Aiden, 5.
JR Shannon, 36, SK-Ranch-CRS Farming, Visalia, California – JR Shannon farms and manages 12,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley. The operation produces grapes, citrus, walnuts, almonds, kiwi, corn, beans, wheat, onions, garlic – and water.
Everything in California agriculture revolves around water, and because of the state’s historic drought, that has been in short supply. Shannon has turned to micro-irrigation systems and is using soil moisture probes to more closely manage his water applications. He installed this year an infrared system that reads the temperature of the canopies of his citrus and nut trees. The readings help him identify stress and fine-tune his irrigation program.
Shannon planted a 200-acre block of kiwi fruit to his operation, as insurance against a new citrus disease, and to tap into a new market opportunity. He expects his first crop in a year and his first commercial crop two years after that.
“The devastating citrus greening disease could destroy citrus industry. I wanted to have something different in case that happened,” Shannon said. “I looked at the kiwifruit as another leg to add to our diversification. I needed to step into this for the betterment of my future.”
Shannon is married to Jayme. They are raising four children, twin boys, Cash and Kingston, and daughters, Shiloh and Kherington. The other honorees included Marty Wooldridge, 39, Wooldridge Land & Cattle Company, Oil City, Louisiana; Adam Winkelman, 31, Winkelman Farms, Arenzville, Illinois; JR Shannon, 36, SK-Ranch-CRS Farming, Visalia, California; and Lamont Bridgeforth, 40, Darden Bridgeforth & Sons, Tanner, Alabama
Nominees for America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers must be 40 years old or younger, manage at least 500 acres and/or have interest in a 50-head cow herd or larger. Nominations for the class of 2018 are now open. Applications are available by email request sent to dan.miller@dtn.com or by phone at 205-414-4736. All nominations must be postmarked by April 28, 2017.
This newest class of America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers are profiled in the February 2017 issue of The Progressive Farmer magazine.