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Shawn and Ila Crocker win Florida Farm
Bureau’s Young Farmer & Rancher Excellence in Agriculture
Award
(ORLANDO, Fla.) – Shawn and Ila Crocker
will represent Florida in the national Young Farmer & Rancher
Excellence in Agriculture competition at the American Farm Bureau
Federation at Charlotte, North Carolina in January 2005. The
Excellence in Agriculture Award Program is designed as an opportunity
to recognize farmers and ranchers under the age of 35 who do
not derive the majority of their income from an owned agricultural
operation. They received the state award Oct. 28 at the Florida
Farm Bureau Annual Meeting at the Walt Disney World Coronado
Springs Resort. The Crockers also collected $500 as winners
of the Florida competition. Participants are judged on their
involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, involvement
and participation in Farm Bureau and other organizations.
“Many people are involved in agriculture,
but may not be full-time farmers,” said Florida Farm Bureau
President Carl B. Loop, Jr. “The Crockers provide a wonderful
example of young people who, through their work, provide vital
support for the industry through their professions and volunteer
activities.”
Shawn works for Cargill Juice North America, Inc.
as the manager of field operations where he is in charge of
purchasing and harvesting citrus from growers throughout the
state of Florida as well as direct management of the company’s
7,000 acres of groves during harvest. He has also served as
a leader of the Hillsborough Countly Farm Bureau.
Ila is the Marketing and Promotions Director for
the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. She is responsible
for promotional and educational consumer programs in both local
and national markets. Ila also manages a small agricultural
operation of her own and is a volunteer leader of the Hillsborough
County Farm Bureau.
Shawn and Ila each earned a bachelor degree from
the University of Florida, Shawn in Operations Management and
Ila in Agricultural Communications.
Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s
largest general-interest agricultural organization with more
than 152,000 member-families, statewide. For more information
on the annual meeting, visit http://FloridaFarmBureau.org.
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Florida
Farm Bureau Federation