Beech Tree News Network

Louisville, KY (October 19, 2023) – Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) announced today that Caleb Smithson of Butler County is the winner of the 2023 KFB Excellence in Agriculture Award.

Each year, KFB awards first, second and third place “Excellence in Agriculture” distinctions to individuals or couples under the age of 35 who contribute to, and exhibit leadership growth from, consistent involvement in Farm Bureau and other agriculture and civic-oriented organizations. To qualify for this award, contestants must not have most of their income subject to normal production risks associated with farming.

Smithson is the Assistant Agriculture Manager and Lead Sales Agronomist at a local, family-owned farm service. He manages the company’s seed supply, shipments, allocation, and orders for seed transactions at the location. 

In college, Smithson’s concentration of studies was agronomy, giving him experience as the manager of a fertilizer facility. His passion for agronomy led him to host an agronomic field day, which gives farmers an in-depth look at agronomy.

As an active participant in the farming industry, Smithson is very involved in Farm Bureau at the local, state, and national levels. He has been his county’s young farmer chair since 2017. He regularly attends the KFB State Annual Meeting and has won numerous awards through Farm Bureau. Smithson is also involved in his church, community, and university alumni association.

Smithson will receive a cash credit toward the purchase of a John Deere product of his choice from Farm Credit Mid-America and will represent Kentucky in the national contest at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in January.

Matthew and Kelsey Chadwick of Calloway County were recognized as the second-place winners and were awarded $400 by KFB. Third place in the contest went to Courtney Jenkins of Morgan County who received $300 courtesy of KFB.