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Gerstacker and Winkel masters of farming

Two Michigan farmers are being awarded one of the highest honors in agriculture during the Great Lakes Crop Summit. 

Fourth-generation farmer Clark Gerstacker grows corn, soybeans, sugarbeets and dry beans with his brother Kirk in Midland.  Also a volunteer firefighter, Gerstacker has served on numerous state and national ag boards and encourages all farmers to be a voice for the industry.   “When production ag makes up less than two percent of the population, fewer and fewer people have that tie to the farm,” he says.  “There are so many things that are driving our industry today, but they’re being held up by public perception and lack of information.”

Apple grower Kevin Winkel of Hartford tells Brownfield six complete crop failures in the last 35 years following severe weather has helped him fine-tune management.  Winkel was an earlier adaptor of high-density orchards, learned how to produce his own nursery stock and is mentoring other young farmers today. “There are farms that go under quickly with that much adversity and we managed to survive that out of just persistence,” he says.  “Young guys that see something like that come along and think you can’t survive that, well you can.”

The Michigan Master Farmers were nominated by their peers and selected for their exceptional management, innovation, conservation, leadership and community involvement.

Awards are sponsored by Brownfield Ag News, the Michigan Farmer Magazine, Michigan Agricultural Commodities, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, and Wilbur-Ellis. 

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