Dustin Vande Hoef
Communications Director
515/281-3375 or 515/326-1616 (cell)
or Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today announced that the Randy and LuAnn Lansing, who farm in Dubuque County, are the winners of the August “Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award.” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey will present the award to the Lansing family at the Iowa State Fair on Friday, August 13.
The Lansing family will be recognized during WHO Radio’s Big Show that will be broadcast live from the Iowa State Fairgrounds in the Crystal Studio from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The family will then be on the “Farmville” stage in the Agriculture Building at 2:00 p.m. and will be presented a plaque by Northey recognizing them as “Good Farm Neighbors.”
“Randy and LuAnn are the type of farmers this award was designed to recognize, they take great care of their animals, their neighbors and the land they farm,” Northey said. “It is very fitting that we will recognize them at the Iowa State Fair, which gives Iowans opportunity to celebrate the agriculture we have in this state and the farmers that make it great.”
The Lansing family runs a crop and dairy farm near New Vienna in Dubuque County. They milk 60 to 70 cows and raise corn, soybeans and hay. They have four children and three grandchildren.
They were nominated for the award by their neighbors Teresa and Wayne Kramer. “The Lansing’s are dairy farmers first and foremost. As with all dairy farms, it is important to take care of your cows, but they also feel that it is important to take care of the land on which they farm. Randy is currently active on the North Fork Maquoketa River Watershed project. He feels that it is important to practice good environmental practices with his farm so that he can some day pass the farm on to one of his sons,” the Kramer’s said in nominating the Lansing family.
The Lansing’s are also active members of the Dubuque County Dairy Association, St. Boniface Altar and Rosary, and are active on their dairy coop district board. “They love and support their community always and are firm believers in buying locally, because they know that it is important to our small rural towns,” the Kramer’s added.
The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award, made possible through the financial support of The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers, recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who care for their farms, neighbors, and the environment. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.
Anyone interested in nominating their neighbor for the award should write a letter or e-mail explaining why their neighbor should receive this designation. Applications may be submitted to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Attn: Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award, Henry A. Wallace Building, Des Moines, IA 50319 or emailed to Communications@iowaAgriculture.gov.
Northey, a corn and soybean farmer from Spirit Lake, is serving his first term as Secretary of Agriculture. His priorities as Secretary of Agriculture are the opportunities in renewable energy, conservation and stewardship, and telling the story of Iowa agriculture.
