Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will present the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to the Tim and Amanda Arthur Family of Fayette County on Wednesday, December 4. The presentation will take place at an event beginning at 11 a.m. at the Hawkeye Community Hall, 102 E. Main Street, Hawkeye.
Tim and Amanda Arthur live on a farm in rural Sumner that Tim’s grandparents, Lyle and Zenita Arthur founded in 1975. Tim originally farmed alongside his parents, Mark and Nancy, for a few years before they retired in 2015. The diversified family farm today includes both crops and livestock as well as a custom farming business. Chase and Johnathan Redfern and Grace and Bradley Arthur, Tim and Amanda’s children, represent the fourth generation to be involved.
“For nearly 50 years, four generations of the Arthur Family have been farming in Fayette County, showing great care for both their livestock and their land,” said Secretary Naig. “The family has also demonstrated what it means to be a ‘Good Farm Neighbor.’ Whether through service to our country or by leadership and participation in numerous community organizations, families like the Arthurs are what makes rural Iowa so special.”
The Arthurs feed approximately 50 to 70 steers annually and raise pigs in a 1,200 head nursery and a 2,200 head finishing barn. They utilize a manure management plan and maintain certifications in Beef Quality Assurance (BQA), Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) and Transport Quality Assurance (TQA). Mark and Nancy were named Master Pork Producers in 1990.
Their farm consists of approximately 1,300 acres of corn and soybeans, and they use a range of conservation practices to ensure the land remains productive for future generations. Filter and buffer strips have been installed and they participate in a butterfly pollinator program. They have also devoted 80 acres to a pheasant recovery program. Tim’s custom planting and harvesting business adds approximately 1,000 additional acres of work in the spring and fall.
The Arthurs are heavily involved in their community. Tim and Amanda are active in the Trail Blazers Snowmobile Club and are members of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Tim also serves on the Union Methodist Cemetery Board. Amanda serves on the Sumner Boy Scouts of America Troop Committee and she and Grace are active with the Fayette County Dairy Promotion Board, where Grace is currently serving as Fayette County Dairy Princess Alternate. The family has remained active in the Sumner-Fredericksburg FFA Chapter as well as in Fayette County 4-H, where Grace currently serves on the Fayette County 4-H Council. Jonathan is currently enrolled as a freshman in the Diesel Tech program at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo. Chase is currently serving on active duty in the United States Army. He is stationed in Fort Myer, Virginia, where he serves as a team leader in the U.S. Army Caisson Detachment. His day-to-day duties include training, riding, and caring for the horses that participate in funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is made possible through a partnership with the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers (CSIF), The Big Show on WHO Radio and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Now in its 20th year, this award recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment and their livestock while also being good neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.
Source : iowaagriculture.gov