Louisville, KY (December 7, 2012) – Three Excellence in Agriculture Awards were presented at the Young Farmer Luncheon held during the 93rd Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) annual meeting in Louisville.

In the awards program’s 11th year, Greg and Contessa Harris, of Madison County, won top honors and will go on to represent Kentucky in national competition at the 94th American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual meeting, held in Nashville, Tennessee, January 13-16, 2013. The Harris' were presented with a John Deere Gator, courtesy of Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, and an expenses-paid trip to the AFBF annual meeting.

Greg is a full-time beef cattle and tobacco farmer in Madison County, working in partnership with his father and grandfather on the 320-acre family farm. Contessa is a first-grade teacher at Glenn Marshall Elementary School. Together the Harris’ are both very involved in their county Farm Bureau, serve in various capacities and committees with Kentucky Farm Bureau and are also involved in a range of civic activities.

Second place in the contest went to Linda McClanahan of Mercer County. She was awarded $400 courtesy of KFB. Aaron and Melissa Miller, of Hardin County, placed third and received $300 from KFB.

When Greg and Contessa compete for top national honors next month in Nashville, they will be vying for their choice of either a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado or 2013 GMC Sierra and a paid registration to the 2013 AFBF Young Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference in Pheonix, Arizona. The three runners-up in the national contest will be awarded a Case IH Farmall 45A, a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a Stihl Farm Boss chainsaw.

With nearly 500,000 member families statewide, Kentucky Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization. Approximately 1,700 members attended KFB’s 93rd annual meeting, December 5-8, to recognize this year’s individual and organizational achievements as well as adopt policy for 2013.