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Chester County Ag Council

Chester County Ag Award Winners

The Board of Chester County Commissioners and the Chester County Agricultural Development Council (Ag Council) present two annual awards, Farmer of the Year and Distinguished Agricultural Service. The Farmer of the Year award recognizes a farmer, farm family, partnership, etc., who maintains and exemplifies outstanding farming practices.

The Duncan Allison Award for Distinguished Agricultural Service, named after a former long-serving and incredibly dedicated board member, honors an individual(s) who has positively promoted, made significant contributions to, or provided exceptional services for the Chester County agricultural community.

Meet the Chester County Farmer of the Year

Jamie Hicks

Jamie Hicks, owner-operator of Hicks IV.

The 2022 Chester County Farmer of the Year award was presented to Jamie Hicks, owner-operator of Hicks IV; a crop farming business on over 5,000 leased acres in Chester County and the surrounding region. His customers include everyone from equestrians with a couple horses to large-scale dairies. He also farms land for high profile organizations including Longwood Gardens and land trusts.

Hicks was nominated for the Farmer of the Year Award by the Chester County Agricultural Development Council. He is widely regarded in the agriculture community for his entrepreneurial drive, sustainable farming practices and innovative partnerships with research institutions including Stroud Water Research.

He sees great promise in farmers driving agribusiness which involves all the steps required to send an agricultural good to market, namely production, processing, and distribution. He believes new markets and product opportunities are the way forward including Pennsylvania's emerging hemp industry and looking at ways farmers can partner with nontraditional customers like online retailers interested in environmentally friendly packaging materials.

"We need to find ways to connect the next generation to the land and focus on emerging industries," Hicks says. "We need to connect agriculture to industry."

Learn more about Jamie Hicks and his business at www.hicksiv.com.

The Duncan Allison Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award

Betsy MacCauley

The Baily family of Baily's Dairy of Pocopson Meadow Farm.

The 2022 Duncan Allison Award for Distinguished Service to Agriculture was presented to the Baily family of Baily's Dairy of Pocopson Meadow Farm in West Chester, Pa. Three generations of the Baily family currently run the farm including patriarch Bernard Baily; daughter Becky Baily and her husband Eric Cockroft; and daughter Meredith Parsons and her son Tyler Parsons.

The family was recognized for positively promoting local agriculture and serving as community ambassadors on the industry's behalf. They have also played an integral role in hosting the Chester Valley Dairy 4-H club and leasing cows to young club members who wouldn't otherwise be able to participate.

"We grew up on the farm and were used to how things worked," says Becky, who oversees the milking and processing. "Now, there are so many kids in Chester County that are removed from the farm but want to get involved once they visit us."

The family is also deeply involved in helping to host the livestock portions of several area county fairs and festivals which are often the first time children get to meet farmers and see livestock up close.

The pandemic provided even more opportunities for the Baily family to make a difference, especially when it came to helping their Chester Valley Dairy 4-H club members cheer up nearby Pocopson Home residents with special bovine visitors in the summer of 2020.

"It made the Pocopson residents so happy to see the cows," recalls Meredith. "It was a really special moment for everyone."

Learn more about the Baily family and their dairy at www.bailysdairy.farm.

Previous Winners

Previous Award Winners
Year Farmer of the Year Distinguished Service to Agriculture
2022 Jamie Hicks The Baily Family
2021 Darryl King Betsy MacCauley
2020 Sonya Beltran & Family Chester County Agriculture Community for Pandemic Food Assistance
2019 The Gable Family Duncan Allison
2018 Duane and Marilyn Hershey Charles Graydus 
2017 Don Cairns Deborah Ellis 
2016 Elias and Rebecca King Sara Manning
2015 The Team at Seven Stars Farm
Lewis Wilkinson
Howard and Janet Robinson
2014 Robert Lange Robert Ray
2013 Drs. Thomas and Barbara Schaer
Peter Flynn
Daniel Miller
2012 Dave and Roberta Rotelle Larry Welsch
Terry Brett
2011 Ike and Lisa Kerschner
David Hodge
Joseph Fecondo
2010 Steve Castorani
Jane Pepple
2009 Norman Laffey Family and
Anthony and Karen Vietri
Nancy L. Mohr
2008
Joseph and Ben Cordivano Donald (Buster) Needham
2007 Stan and Cathy Guest Charles Harris
2006 Karen Vollmecke
John Arrell
2005 I. Glen Engle Family
Dennis Byrne
2004 Phillips Mushroom Farm
Betsy Huber
2003 Angelo J. Zunino and Son Inc. Charles L. Roten
2002 Knight Run Farm George and Sue Lamborn
2001 Walmoore Holsteins, Inc. Arthur Hershey
2000 Gottlieb Strohmaier Family Gary W. Smith
1999 David Lantz Family Cheryl Fairbairn
1998 The Raymond Harnish Family Furman Gyger, Jr.
1997 Tim Barlow and Ben Beiler

1996 Matthews Family Robert Lange
1995 Rosazza Family Hoopes family
1994 Omar and Nelson Beam families G. Pownall Jones
1993 Yeatman Bros. Charlie Brosius
1992 Horace/Hazel Walton Charlie Gable
1991 Ken/Marilyn Umble Hoopes Yarnall Family
1990 Bill Beam Harold Kulp
1989 Mason Brothers Charlie Wollaston