Do you know the woman who should be America’s farm mom of the year? Well, there is a contest to honor her and the nomination window is open from now until March 31st. The 2015 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year contest is sponsored by Monsanto, and a regional winner last year, Stephanie Essick, the Midwest Farm Mom winner from Iowa, says farm moms play many roles, “Whether you deliver the food or you are the actual farmer,” she told HAT.
“I actually farm fulltime and I have for the last 15 years after graduating from Iowa State, and I do everything to combine, to plant and the accounting. Moms can be very involved and do just about anything in agriculture anymore.”
HAT spoke with Essick recently at Commodity Classic. Like a lot of farm moms she is very involved in the industry.
“I’ve always been passionate about agriculture and wanted to be involved. Right now I’m on the Iowa Soybean Board and am very excited about the future of agriculture. I’ve been here this week at board meetings and delegate sessions.”
The program is coordinated by Tracy Mueller, Monsanto brand communications manager.
“Any deserving farm mom, whether it’s your sister, your mother, a friend, someone you admire in the community, anybody you feel is a deserving mom can be nominated.”
This is the 6th year for the contest which awards $5,000 to the 5 regional winners and an additional $5,000 to the national winner announced just before Mother’s Day. Mueller says it’s important to recognize the incredible moms from America’s farms.
“We are just so proud to celebrate women in agriculture and all the contributions they make. They’re amazing women and I don’t even know how they do everything they do in a day. They’re phenomenal women who are really outspoken about agriculture. They’re passionate and wonderful people to know.”
American Agri-Women, the nation’s largest coalition of farm, ranch and agri-business women, will be helping select the semi-finalists.
“It is so heart-warming to read the nominations from family members of all ages. They share personal stories and memories of everything women do day in and day out and year in and year out to keep their family and farm going. They’re super heroes to their families,” says Donnell Scott, AAW’s vice president of education, who is leading the judging efforts.
Visit AmericasFarmers.com during the nomination period and be prepared to submit a brief essay online about how your nominee contributes to her family, farm, community and agriculture.
The five regional winners, which are selected from the semi-finalists, will be announced at the end of April, and profiles of the winners will be posted to AmericasFarmers.com, where the public can vote for the one national farm mom winner.
Complete eligibility requirements and official contest rules are at the website or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to America’s Farmers Mom of the Year, Attn: Sue Dillon, 349 Marshall Ave., Ste. 200, St. Louis, MO 63119.