Jim Blome, Max Armstrong Among MACA Award Honorees

The Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) presented the following awards at its recent annual meeting in Des Moines, IA.

Dean Roy Achievement Award

MACA President Gunther Kreps presented the Association’s most coveted award – the Dean Roy Achievement Award – named in honor of one of the organization’s founders, for “Exceptional Service to MACA and the CropLife Industry” for contributing the most by their selfless service.

The 2018 recipient winner is Jay Morris, Morris Bixby. Kreps cited Morris’ service to the association where he has served on the Industry Communications Committee and as Chair in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. He’s undertaken the challenge of reviewing the dues structure for MACA in 2016 and the membership approved it in 2017. He’s recruited new members and identified potential new members. Under Jay’s leadership, the committee took on the Young Leader Scholarship Program and created a sub-committee to take the lead on the program. Jay has served as a host for the program, mentored students, provided training on job interviews, and mentored other MACA members.

Morris has served as a director for the MACA Board of Directors representing the allied industries since 2016.

Currently, Morris is President of the Morris Bixby Group and lives in the Peoria, IL, area.

“Jay is committed to the crop protection industry and works for its betterment through MACA,” stated Kreps. “Having worked in the crop protection industry for several manufacturers, he understands the crop protection industry and recognizes the need for the industry to be involved and help develop potential employees as well as have people from the industry involved.

“Jay listens and discusses concerns to encourage active participation in MACA from members. He encourages members and listens to other members,” concluded Kreps. “Jay Morris has helped to make MACA better by leading and gathering input on issues.”

Jay Morris is the 37th person to receive the Dean Roy Achievement Award.

Ruth White Media Award

The Ruth White Media Award is presented to an individual who’s demonstrated an evidence of consistent, objective and accurate reporting on American agriculture and the myriad of issues involved in modern agriculture, including the CropLife industry.

This year’s winner is Max Armstrong, who serves as Director of Broadcasting for Farm Progress. Max is the producer and host of the “Farm Progress America” and “Max Armstrong’s Midwest Digest” daily radio programs. He’s also the co-host and co-founder of “This Week in AgriBusiness,” which is a weekly television show owned and produced with Orion Samuelson and seen three times each weekend on RFD-TV and is carried once weekly on more than 100 local commercial television stations. He’s hosted stage shows and served as a moderator of panel discussions. Max has worked tirelessly to tell the story of agriculture. Max is a graduate of Purdue University.

Educator of the Year

The MACA Educator of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Aaron Hager, University of Illinois. The award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated significant contributions to American agriculture, especially in the MACA region. Also, the person has demonstrated evidence of consistency in educating the public on the values of production agriculture.

Aaron Hager is a native of west-central Illinois where he was raised on a corn and soybean family farm. He received a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science in 1991 from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; his M.S. in weed science from Michigan State University in May, 1993. Later that month, he joined the University of Illinois as a weed science extension specialist. In 2001, he completed his Ph.D. in weed science and joined the Department of Crop Sciences faculty ranks in 2002.

As an associate professor of weed science at the University of Illinois, Aaron is responsible for weed biology and management research in corn and soybean production systems. His research focuses on examining the biology and management of weed species that are becoming increasingly common and problematic in Illinois.

Additionally, Dr. Hager has responsibility for the production and annual revision of extension-related publications and coordination for several weed science educational programs in Illinois.

As a nominator stated, “Aaron continues to do a great job of educating the public. His focus on doing what is right by the grower has always been evident. The ability to keep the conversation at a level that can be not only understood but easily replicated was one of Aaron’s best attributes when in front of the customers.”

“Here in Illinois his advice and expertise has been second to none for the past 20+ years and his ability to communicate consistently and accurately no matter the situation, is a breath of fresh air,” stated another nominator.

Industry Vision Award

The Association’s Industry Vision Award was presented to Jim Blome, Bayer CropScience.

The award is presented to an individual who’s devoted their career to promoting and protecting the interests of the entire crop protection industry which supports American and Midwestern agriculture and has shown leadership roles within their company and in other industry-wide organizations.

Currently, Jim serves as President & CEO, Bayer CropScience LP. He has more than 30 years in the industry having worked at Valent, Agriliance, Agtrol, Griffin, and FMC. The Iowa native is a graduate of Iowa State University.

In addition, Jim is currently serving as the President of CropLife America. So he is very familiar with associations and the role they play. He’s also served as the board chairman for several associations including US Farming & Ranching Foundation, Concentric Ag Corporation (formerly Inocucor Technologies), and National Wild Turkey Federation. In addition, he is a member of the National FFA Sponsors’ Board.

Under Jim’s leadership, Bayer has been supportive of associations both financially and with active participation from employees. That includes a long list of participating members in MACA which Jim has supported and encouraged and included him speaking at the 2013 MACA Annual Meeting. He is currently involved with the Bayer-Monsanto restructure.

Ambassador of the Year

The CropLife Ambassador of the Year Award was first presented in 1993. It is designed to recognize an ambassador for their efforts in promoting the crop protection industry through presentations to students or consumers.

This year’s recipient is Joe Olson, Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC and an area branch manager responsible for southeast Indiana retail based in Indianapolis, IN. Joe became an ambassador in 2017 and has made seven presentations since starting to more than 320 students. One of the funny questions the students ask is, “How much money do you make?” Joe’s response, “I typically smile, and then tell them I make enough to support my wife and three children. And then I follow up with the opportunity for jobs in agriculture based on the aging industry population and move on.”

Joe was raised in Central Indiana and graduated from Wabash College with a B.A. in Mathematics along with Minors in Physics, Religion, and Music. After graduation he worked a couple of different jobs until Erin, his wife, told Joe his passion was in agriculture and encouraged him to get back into the industry. In 2012, went to work for Helena and finished his MBA in Applied Management from Indiana Wesleyan University in December of 2014.

Thus, with Joe’s passion for agriculture and three young daughters, it was a natural for him to become an ambassador and speak with elementary students.

Ambassador of the Decade

The CropLife Ambassador of the Decade is designed to recognize an ambassador for their efforts in promoting the crop protection industry through presentations to students or consumers for many years. This year’s recipient is Doug Mertens, FMC, Columbia, MO.

Since 2000, Doug has been an ambassador and has been making presentations to elementary students, middle school students and high school students. He’s a big believer of the program and makes time to do the presentations.

In 2003, MACA named him the ambassador of the year. It’s now 2018, 15 years later, and Doug is still making presentations to students. This year, Doug made five presentations to 1,000 students. He speaks to small classes, but he also spends an entire day at one school talking with students about agriculture and careers in agriculture. Not only does he talk with students, he shares the program with college students and gets them to sign up as ambassadors!

While he works for FMC and lives in Columbia, MO, Doug is more than willing to travel around the state to make a presentation and helps to find people in Missouri, or other states, to make presentations. Since starting as an ambassador, Doug has made 43 presentations to more than 2,500 students.

So why does Doug keep speaking to students? “It’s an opportunity to give back to agriculture and share why agriculture is important to all of us. I can be a voice to help children who may have never been exposed to agriculture understand what, how and why we do what we do and why it’s important to them,” says Doug.

MACA Elects 2018-2019 Leaders

MACA also elected officers for 2018-2019 at its annual meeting. New officers are President Paul Edsten, FMC; Vice President Tim Riley, AMVAC Chemical Co.; and Secretary/Treasurer Rick Welder, Spectrum Technologies. Gunther Kreps, Nutrien Ag Solutions, will serve as immediate past president.

Elected to three-year board of director terms were: Susan Macy, Valent USA; Lindsey Jackson, Corteva Agriscience Agriculture Division of DowDuPont;  and Brian Clark, Schuetz Container Systems, Inc.