NCGA Past President Wins Inaugural Award
Posted: August 30, 2007
Producing more from every acre while reducing the environmental footprint on the farm are the hallmarks of U.S. farming today, says Leon Corzine, past NCGA president and one of five recipients to receive the new Abraham Lincoln National Agriculture Award. Leon received the inaugural award at the Farm Progress Show, in Decatur, Ill. for his efforts on behalf of technology.
For those of you know Leon, you know that he’s a champion for the contributions of the American farmer. He was recognized for his national involvement to promote and adopt biotechnology in agriculture, advocacy for a governmental standard for the use of renewable fuels which led to aggressive market demand for ethanol, plus additional technological developments in grain storage, in export shipping containers, as well has his leadership for new locks and dams on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. All in days work, huh, Leon?
Brownfield Network’s Tom Steever, caught up with Leon at the Farm Progress Show (mp3). “We really have changed things in rural America and across the country. We have done things to make our country better, I truly feel…Every time, the American farmer has stepped up to the plate.”
Other award recipients are John Block, an Illinois farmer and former U.S. ag secretary; Jim Evans, a University of Illinois agricultural communications professor emeritus; Congressman J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; and John Huston, executive vice president emeritus of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
Hats off to you, Leon, and the other award winners; America is better off because of your efforts.
You can also listen to an interview I conducted with Leon at the Show after receiving his award: