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Texas Agriculture Archive

January 3, 2003

Gertson wins Outstanding
YF&R Award

Wayne Lee (left) hands the keys of a new 2003 Dodge Ram 3/4-ton 4x4 Quad cab pick-up to Stephen Gertson and family.

A 35-year-old rice and cattle producer from East Bernard was named winner of Texas Farm Bureau's Outstanding Young Farmer & Rancher contest at the state's largest farm organization's 69th annual convention.

Stephen Gertson of Wharton County was named over two other finalists in the annual competition that recognizes the hard work and determination needed to succeed when starting out in the challenging business of agriculture.

The two other finalists included Donnell Brown, 33, who runs a cattle operation in Throckmorton with his wife, Kelli, and two children; and Korvan Kreusler of New Braunfels, who runs a corn, sorghum, wheat, cow/calf and sheep and goat operation with his wife, Jill.

Gertson said he farms for his family, which includes wife Kathy and three children, instead of for the bank.

"I'm a true cost cutter," the young producer, who farms 2,200 acres of rice and runs 375 momma cows in a family partnership, said. "I don't like to farm for the bank because I don't like debt. Tough times, when they're in debt, that's when people start going out of business. So in the tough times we start using up what we put away in the good times."

As winner of the competition, Gertson received the following prizes: title to a 2003 Dodge Ram 3/4-ton 4X4 Quad Cab pickup with a Cummins diesel engine, courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co.; 150 hours use of a Case IH tractor, courtesy of Case IH; plaque and belt buckle representative of the award, courtesy of Am-Pac; a voucher for up to $500 in Syngenta products, courtesy of Syngenta; and a $300 gift certificate to Grainger Industrial Supply, courtesy of Grainger.

The Gertsons will also represent Texas Farm Bureau in the American Farm Bureau Achievement Award competition in January in Tampa, Fla.

As runners-up, Brown and Kreusler received the following prizes: complimentary use of a 2003 Dodge Quad Cab pickup from December 2002 through November 2003, courtesy of Dodge; plaque and belt buckle representative of the award, courtesy of Am-Pac; and a $200 gift certificate to Grainger Industrial Supply, courtesy of Grainger.