The Larry Jester family of Townsend and Farm Credit’s Marty Desmond received the highest honors at the New Castle County Farm Bureau’s annual banquet held Oct. 8 at Townsend Fire Hall.

Tommy Unruh introduced the Jesters as NCCBF’s 2018 Farm Family of the Year. Unruh said he and Larry Jester were part of the “Bunker Hill Boys,” of which four are still farming.

Jester was born to a farming family in Delaware and began farming on his own in 1979.  He and his wife of 38 years, Patti, have two daughters, Lisa, who married Steven Porter, and Sara, who married Louis Austin. The Jesters have three grandchildren, including a brand-new granddaughter, Kati, who will be moving with her parents, Sara and Louis, to a new home being built on the farm. Grandsons Brent, 9, and Kellen, 5, are passionate about farming like their grandfather.

Jester tills 3,200 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and barley. He also runs a grain storage facility on the farm.  He recently implemented solar energy on the home farm, which has contributed significant savings on storing and drying grain.

Unruh said, “A few years ago, Larry found some of the fun had gone out of farming. After long days in the field, he would come home to spend evenings doing all the recordkeeping for taxes, crop insurance and FSA. His wife would do payroll and help with paying bills on top of her full time job as a bank teller supervisor.  In 2013, Larry brought their older daughter, Lisa, on board to handle the office work. It was an obvious solution, given her background as a grain merchandiser for Mountaire Farms for six years, along with a degree in business and accounting.”

Jester has been a Delaware Farm Bureau member since 2009 and has served as New Castle County Delegate. He is on the New Castle County Agricultural Advisory Committee where he was appointed Commissioner last year. In 2007, he was awarded the Governor's Conservation Award. In 2011, he was awarded the Water Resources Association of The Delaware River Basin Government Award.

Jester traveled to Brazil with Ed Kee, former Delaware Secretary of Agriculture, and other area farmers a few years ago. They toured various farming operations there and shared with Brazilian farmers some of the farming practices of Delmarva. Jester also has discussed economic issues farmers face with various foreign officials.

Kee, who has has Jester since he was just out of high school, said, “Larry was born to farm. One could tell he just plain wanted to farm.  That desire and love of his profession is one reason why he has been successful.  He also appreciates his farming roots going back to his Mom and Dad and his grandparents on both sides.  Larry loves to farm, but he is also a businessman. He makes good business decisions.  As he said in the video we did in the (Delaware Department of Agriculture) a few years ago, he looks for things that help make things better, faster and profitable. Larry is also proud of his family, his wife, Patti, his daughters and now his grandchildren.  He has three sisters and appreciates their interest, support and cooperation, all of which goes back to his respect to his parents.”

NCCFB President Stewart Ramsey introduced Marty Desmond, recipient of the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award. Ramsey said, “For more than 40 years, Marty has been an advocate for Delaware agriculture. He has worked tirelessly his entire career to support, promote and enhance Delaware's family farms. Desmond has spent considerable time educating and supporting programs such as FFA, ag-related vo-tech programs and the poultry industry.  He recognizes the importance of hard work and dedication to the industry and to the farmers who are part of this industry. His career is a testament to helping our Delaware farmers thrive and grow.”

After graduation from the University of Delaware, Desmond went to work for the USDA Farmers Home Administration, serving as a county supervisor in several offices throughout Delmarva. In 1987, he began his career with Farm Credit, starting as a loan officer and working up the ladder into management roles. He is now regional lending manager.

A graduate of the first LEAD Delaware class, Desmond was appointed by then Gov. Ruth Ann Minner to a Task Force for Financial Sustainability in Delaware Agriculture. He has served on the board of the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation for five years.
Desmond and his wife, Jan, live in Middletown. They have two daughters, Annie, a senior at the University of Delaware, and Sara, a sophomore at Immaculata University.

Bill Powers, who initiated the Rate of Gain competition in New Castle County years ago, explained that people don’t always understand that the champions of various livestock classes at the State Fair are not always the best animals in feed conversion. The Rate of Gain contest recognizes animals that gain the most weight per day before the fair. Winners in the 2018 competition were: Victoria Fuller of Wilmington, 4-H sheep; Andrew Shaffer of Middletown, 4-H swine; Payton Price of Newark, 4-H goat; Sydney Poe of New Castle, 4-H beef; and Morgan Brellahan of New Castle, both FFA beef and goat.

NCCFB Women’s Chair June Unruh introduced the new Delaware Youth Ambassador, Helena Kirk, daughter of Toby and Debbie Kirk of Townsend. A senior at Middletown High School, Helena is active in FFA, 4-H, church, wildlife and deer management groups and the National Rifle Association. She served as 2017-2018 New Castle County Youth Ambassador. Her mother was the 1991 Delaware Farm Bureau Queen.

Travis Voshell gave the Young Farmers and Ranchers report, saying this had been the most successful year yet in outreach and fundraising.