Jason Arndt, jarndt@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt The 2015 Shawano County Agriculture Award winners are, from left, top row, Jason and Lindsay Ard, Young Farmer of the Year; Ashley Bergsbaken, Mikayla Maroszek and Kaila Wussow, Farm Bureau scholarship recipients; Hank and Shawn Wagner, Soil and Water Conservation; Jim Bergsbaken, Second Miler; front row, Alex and Abigail Ard, children of Jason and Lindsay; Joyce and Ken Natzke, Friend of Agriculture; Pam and Crystal Wagner, with son, Jackson.
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Lindsay and Jason Ard were named Shawano County's Young Farmer of the Year during the 58th annual Shawano County Agriculture Awards program Friday at the Main Event in Cecil. They have two children, Abigail, 10, and Alex, 8.
Jason and Lindsay Ard, of Angelica, both grew up around farming. When they married in 2007, they knew they wanted to establish roots in Shawano County.
On Friday, the Ards received the Outstanding Young Farmer award at the 58th annual Shawano County Agricultural Awards Banquet at the Main Event in Cecil.
“I would like to thank everybody that helped get this going, along with community for helping us get here, and I am very honored to get this award,” Jason Ard said.
The couple purchased their first farm, 120 acres on Beech Drive outside of Bonduel, in 1997. It has grown to 277 acres.
The Ards are members of the Shawano County Farm Bureau and involved in the conservation stewardship program. They utilize Tilth Agronomy for crop scouting, soil testing and a nutrient management plan.
In addition to working the farm, Jason Ard is a painter at Broadway Automotive; Lindsay is an office manager for Zernicke. They have an 8-year-old son, Alex, and 10-year-old daughter, Abby.
Other award winners Friday:
- Ken and Joyce Natzke, of Bonduel, who received the Friend of Agriculture award. The Natzkes, who have been dairy farmers for more than 40 years, were acknowledged for efforts with the Bonduel 4-H Club, FFA and instilling an appreciation of agriculture into their seven children.
- Jim Bergsbaken of Bonduel, who received the Second Miler award, which is given to a member of the community going above and beyond to promote agriculture Bergsbaken, who worked at Bonduel Oil Station for 30 years, assisted farmers with their equipment, including tire repairs. He later worked at Bay Lakes in Oconto Falls and Mid County Co-Op in Shawano.
-Russell Wendorf, recognized as Tree Farmer of the Year. Wendorf purchased his town of Morris property in 2010 at an auction. He has more than 9,000 trees, which include 56 acres of northern hardwood and 61 acres of cedar. Wendorf's efforts to maintain the tree population included installing mesh and wire fences to prevent deer and other animal species from damaging tree harvests.
- Wagner Farms, recognized for soil and water conservation by the Shawano County Land Conservation Committee. Hank and Pam Wagner purchased their 850-acre Green Valley farm in 1987 and have been involved in the Pensaukee Watershed Program, Farmland Preservation, the Conservation Stewardship Program and Environmental Qualities Incentives Program.
- Bonduel High School seniors Kaila Wussow, Mikayla Maroszek and Jennifer Krull, and 2014 graduate Ashley Bergsbaken, who received $500 scholarships from Debbie Mielke, of the Shawano County Farm Bureau.
“This is a very active Farm Bureau and we should all be proud of that,” Mielke said.
Banquet coordinator Tammy Styczynski noted all of the award winners were dedicated to agriculture.
“We appreciate ... you and everyone here works hard, and that is the reason why we celebrate agriculture,” she said.