San Antonio, TX (January 14, 2014) – Shelby County’s Shane and Mary Courtney found themselves in elite company at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual convention this week when they emerged as runners-up in the Young Farmer & Rancher “Achievement Award” competition.

This award program recognizes young farmers and ranchers from across the country who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhibited superior leadership abilities. Participants are evaluated on a combination of their agricultural operation’s growth and financial progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside of Farm Bureau.

“This award is extremely important to us,” said Shane. “It gives us the opportunity to look back at the journey we’ve made starting our operation from scratch and building it into what it is today.”

The Courtney’s, who were also named Kentucky Farm Bureau’s 2013 “Outstanding Young Farm Family,” are first-generation farmers on the land they work and own in Shelby County. They raise burley tobacco, corn, soybeans, mixed vegetables, green bell peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash and zucchini, specialty peppers, and seedless watermelon. They have both served on Shelby County’s board of directors, regularly volunteer their time with several of its committees, and fill leadership roles in a variety of other civic and agricultural organizations.

As the runners-up of this national competition, Shane and Mary will receive a Case IH Farmall 65A, courtesy of Case IH, and $3,000 in cash and STIHL merchandise, courtesy of STHIL.

“The honor is something we have dreamed of forever and just hard to believe that it has happened,” added Mary. “This will definitely give us energy to keep going.”

For more information about the 95th American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting, held in San Antonio, TX, visit annualmeeting.fb.org.