MONROE — Monroe’s Jerry Heck was one of three Michigan farmers who received the 2024 Master Farmer Award at the recent Great Lakes Crop Summit.
The award has been given for 20 years to farmers who stand out in agriculture, farm management and leadership, said the publication Michigan Farmer. This year’s other recipients were Bob Schultz of Ypsilanti and Timothy Kruithoff of Kent City. The award is bestowed by the Michigan Farmer, which is part of Farm Progress Companies.
“The award acknowledges a lifetime of achievement, not a single year,” Michigan Farmer said. “Master Farmers are nominated by their peers and chosen by a committee of agriculture industry leaders.”
Winners are honored at a luncheon and receive a plaque and a pin. They also will be featured in this month’s issue of “American Agriculturist.”
In a recent YouTube video, Heck talked about his farming career, which began when he was a child.
“Farming is something I’ve loved to do from a little kid. My brother and I farmed as kids. We were farming every day with our toys,” Heck said in the video. “Since 1879, the farm has been in my family. The first Heck name on the deed was my great-great-grandfather. My dad was a dairy farmer. He milked about 60 cows. When I was old enough, I helped with chores and with feeding. My dad had about 1,000 chickens. We were fairly big in the egg business.”