Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Contributed Photo Jacob Roth, who has been raising pigs since he was in eighth grade, was honored Friday as Shawano County’s young farmer of the year at the Shawano County Agricultural Awards banquet in Cecil.
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Dean Mehlberg addresses the crowd Friday after being named tree farmer of the year at the Shawano County Agricultural Awards banquet in Cecil.
Shawano County farmers and others involved in agriculture gathered Friday for the 60th annual Shawano County Agricultural Awards ceremony.
The banquet attended by about 150 people has become a significant social occasion and also a time to recognize those who have made important contributions to the Shawano County farming community.
“It’s a chance to get together and celebrate people doing positive things for our industry,” organizer Tammy Styczynski said. “It’s a great night to reconnect with friends and recognize more deserving people in the farming community.”
The yearly banquet is organized by the University of Wisconsin-Extension’s Shawano County office, along with several other groups, individuals and business sponsors.
It was held Friday night at the Main Event banquet hall in Cecil.
One of the big awards went to Jacob Roth, of the town of Birnamwood, who was recognized as the 2016 Outstanding Young Farmer.
Roth farms with his parents, Dale and Regina, and has been raising pigs since he was in eighth grade. He also created Jake’s Pig Palace, where he raises pigs for many youth to show at the Shawano County Fair.
The award recipient sells about 150 show pigs a year and raises another 25 butcher hogs annually. As the winner of many county fair awards over the years, he was the breeder of the 2014 Reserve Champion Market Gilt at the Wisconsin State Fair.
Roth is a dealer for Sunglow feeds and is a member of the Wisconsin Show Pig Association, Shawano County Holstein Association and the Wisconsin Holstein Association.
Jaime Patton, Extension agriculture agent for Shawano County, said Roth “lives and breathes” farming and shares his excitement with others.
“Just have a short conversation with Jake and you will soon realize his passion for the swine and dairy industries,” Patton said. “Walking through his barns, he knows every animal by name and can tell you its bloodlines from memory.”
Other honors announced during Friday’s banquet include the following:
• Goers Family Dairy Farm received the Soil & Water Conservation Farmer award. The family farm, located south of Gresham in the town of Herman, milks 200 cows, has 200 young stock and grows over 500 acres of alfalfa, corn silage and corn. The family was honored for various improvements with livestock housing, a milking parlor and waste handling over the past six years.
• Dean Mehlberg was honored as the Tree Farmer of the Year. Mehlberg was raised in a forested area in the town of Grant, and he now owns 25 acres in the town of Pella consisting of pine, northern hardwoods and oak-hickory, of which 20 acres are enrolled in the Managed Forest Law program. He is an active member and past president of the Wolf River Chapter of Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association. He said: “The woods is where I found peace and beauty.”
• Kay Reminger received the Friend of Agriculture award for her years of work writing about farm life in The Shawano Leader. Kay and her husband farm near Marion, where they have raised three children. For the past 11 years, she has written a regular column in the Leader about her life as a farm wife. Organizers honored her for using her writing gift to share life experiences on the farm.
• Dale and Debbie Mielke were awarded the Second Miler Award in connection with their Mielke’s S-Curve Dairy farm near Marion. The family farm will be hosting the annual Brunch on the Farm on June 25. Debbie has served on numerous boards, including the Rural Health Initiative, Shawano County Dairy Promotions and the Shawano County Farm Bureau, of which she has been president the past several years. Speaking of her varied activities in the ag community, Debbie Mielke told banquet attendees Friday: “The best part is the people you meet. That brings it all home. That makes it worthwhile.”
• Area students Brooke Breitrick, Emma Gwidt, Dawn Mroczkowski, Harmony Reimer, Jacob Strassburg and Deanna Zernicke were awarded Shawano County Farm Bureau scholarships.