Agricultural Awards and Honors
Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award
Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award
The Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award is sponsored by FDACS in conjunction with the Florida State Fair Authority.
The award, which was started in 1985, recognizes women who have made outstanding contributions to Florida agriculture.
The award is presented by Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture each February during a luncheon at the Florida State Fair in Tampa.
The 2011 recipient was Sarah Childs of Lake Placid, and the 2012 recipient was Imogene Yarborough of Geneva.
Women have played a crucial role in the history of agriculture in Florida. Not only did they raise the children, maintain the home, care for the sick and injured, and provide grounding for the family, they toiled alongside their husband in the fields and pastures. They were the epitome of perseverance, strength, resolve, and dignity.
Since 1985, woman who have made outstanding contributions to Florida agriculture have been honored with the “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award. This award, sponsored by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in conjunction with the Florida State Fair Authority, is presented to the recipient during the Florida State Fair in Tampa.
Recipients of the “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award have come from all parts of the industry including cattle, vegetables, timber, citrus, row crops, equine, horticulture, tropical fruits, sugar cane, dairy, agricultural journalism, and agricultural education and outreach.
In 2001 the award program was enhanced to help heighten awareness about the women who have helped make Florida agriculture into the important industry that it is today. Since then, a documentary video about each new recipient has been shown during the award ceremony, and a booklet outlining her contributions to agriculture distributed to those in attendance.
Award Recipients
| Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award | ||
| Year |
Recipient | Residence |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Imogene Yarborough | Geneva |
| 2011 | Sarah K. Childs | Lake Placid |
| 2010 | Ann Holt | Wellington |
| 2009 | Marcia Lightsey | Lake Wales |
| 2008 | Patsy Nathe | Dade City |
| 2007 | Colleen Boggs | Homestead |
| 2006 | Iris Wall | Indiantown |
| 2005 | Marlene Strickland | Sarasota |
| 2004 | Martina "Teena" Borek | Homestead |
| 2003 | Jennie Lee Zipperer | Fort Myers |
| 2002 | Annette Barnett Land | Branford |
| 2001 | Barbara Carlton | Sidell |
| 2000 | Helen Houck | Perry |
| 1999 | Vina Jean Banks | Balm |
| 1998 | Nancy Gurnett Hardy | Winter Haven |
| 1997 | Gertrude "Trudy" Carey | Hillsborough County |
| 1996 | Norma Stokes | Highlands County |
| 1995 | Louve "Vee" Frierson Platt | Clewiston |
| Patricia Robbins | Miami | |
| 1994 | Anne Wardlaw Dickinson | Frostproof |
| 1993 | Sarah W. Bailey | St. Johns County |
| 1992 | Carol C. Murphy | Volusia County |
| 1991 | Ruth M. Tucker | Brevard County |
| 1990 | Jeanette Barthle | Pasco County |
| 1989 | Belle Jeffords | Alachua County |
| 1988 | Carolyn Reed Kempfer | Osceola-Brevard |
| 1987 | Dorothy Conner Shipes | Lake County |
| 1986 | Ruth Wedgworth | Belle Glade |
| 1985 | Jo Ann Smith | Marion County |
Official Forms
- DACS-01597 Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award Nomination (PDF)
Print Resources
Contact Us About the Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Office of the Commissioner
The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0800
Cheryl Flood
(850) 488-3022
(850) 617-7939 Fax
Cheryl.Flood@FreshFromFlorida.com
