DEREK AND KATIE SAWYER HONORED AT KANSAS FARM BUREAU ANNUAL MEETING

MANHATTAN – Derek and Katie Sawyer, McPherson County, were honored as Kansas Farm Bureau Farm Family of the Year for Farm Bureau’s 7th geographic district. The Sawyer family received their award during Kansas Farm Bureau’s 94th Annual Meeting in Manhattan, Dec. 4.

One family in each of the Kansas Farm Bureau’s 10 geographic districts is selected each year for the Farm Family of the Year award. The award recognizes families for their service and leadership in agriculture, Farm Bureau and their communities.

Derek and Katie own and operate Sawyer Land and Cattle, a diversified grain, forage and cattle operation. They own 2,400 acres of land and cash-lease 360 acres of land. The Sawyers have a 350-head Angus based cowherd. They also background 2,000 head of calves annually. The Sawyers grow corn, wheat, soybeans, and grain sorghum on irrigated and dry-land acres.

Serving in Farm Bureau is a commitment the Sawyers are used to. Derek has been a member for nearly 10 years serving on the Kansas Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Ranchers Committee and American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. Katie joined Farm Bureau after the couple married in Dec. 2010. Since then, she has helped organize a food check-out event to help educate consumers on lean beef options.

Locally, the Sawyers advocate for agriculture in many other ways. Derek is a member of the Inman High School FFA advisory board and helped organize an FFA alumni chapter for the high school. Katie is an active farm blogger and is published by their local newspaper, The McPherson Sentinel. For the past two years, the couple has donated more than 100 pounds of beef to the McPherson Rotary and Lions Club annual Christmas Food Basket project. The Sawyers believe that agriculture can continue to be Kansas’ most productive industry, providing jobs and exports, while at the same time shaping people to become leaders in their community and state.

Kansas Farm Bureau represents grassroots agriculture. Established in 1919, this non-profit advocacy organization supports farm families who earn their living in a changing industry.