Way back in 1990, the Summit County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees established The Summit County Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award as a means to recognize members for their outstanding service.
Specifically, it is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a member. The award is given to a bona fide farmer who has made an outstanding contribution to their local community and the industry of agriculture. Choosing a worthy recipient from the many qualified members is usually difficult for the three previous winners, who are assigned the task, however, this year it was a slam dunk!

Our honoree was born in the spring and every year since, as soon as the weather breaks, he can be found playing in the dirt. From a very young age he loved everything about outdoors, running, jumping, digging in dirt, riding anything with wheels, especially tractors and playing with his older and younger siblings as he is the third of five children. 

Although he was formally educated through the local public school system and ATI in Wooster, his true education took place on the farm baling hay, driving tractor, caring for the livestock and basically learning what he needed to know for life on the farm.

He has followed in the footsteps of many strong, dedicated family members before him. This farmer’s land was tended to by his great-great grandfather, great grandfather, grandfather and his father and now he tends to the very same land with loving care that has been in the family for many decades.  Through early mornings, long seasons, and countless challenges, he has met each day with quiet determination and a love for the land that is so deep that he has never really strayed off the very street that he grew up on for very long. In fact, the house he lives in now, was built by his uncle and purchased from his aunt.

You won’t find him driving by a corn field, soy bean field, a freshly plowed field, or one that just had fertilizer applied without basking in all its glory. His family jokes that he can name a crop field with his eyes closed. He is very good with being resourceful, problem-solving broken equipment, and making something out of nothing, a trait he learned from his father who he believed just had to be MacGyver. 

This year’s honoree got the call to come back to the family farm to take over the workload and help after a family member’s terminal diagnoses. Once home, there was no turning back for him. He had a duty and a purpose. His pride for farming is evident in everything that he does. His honor to be home and doing what he loves is strong in the way that he shows up every day, every year, time and time again. Even the rough years he can be found saying “maybe next year.’  And we all know this year has been particularly rough!

He loves his cows and can sometimes be found out in the pasture scratching the head of one of his past bottle fed babies. A few years ago, wanting to expand his animal collection, he started a small herd of goats that has grown to almost more than they can handle. During kidding season, you might just catch him in the rocking chair swaddling a baby goat while feeding it a bottle.

A half a dozen years ago, a neighbor caught him on a night he had some free time and asked if he would be interested in buying their ice cream business. Just what he needed another business; the farm, the livestock, the farm market, the traveling markets and lawn mowing wasn’t enough? Since then, the lawn mowing has gone by the wayside.

As we all know, a farmer’s wife wears many hats and that is true for our honoree. He met his partner 14 years ago while working the Farmers Market at the hospital. Every Wednesday, he was “the topic of discussion” with all the ladies in her department. After 10 years together, Roger Baker made it his mission to get them to the finish line and tie the knot … talk about taking it S-L-O-W! Roger badgered him until he finally gave in and bought a ring, they are closing out year four of marriage now.

His commitment to Summit County Farm Bureau is almost equal to his commitment to farming. He has volunteering at the Antiques Museum each summer, volunteering at the Farmer’s Share Breakfast, hosting both Ag Day at the Farm and multiple Family Fun Nights, sitting as the Vice President and President as well as Board Member since 2005. Incidentally, he has represented Summit County on the Farm Service Agency board since 2012.

This 5 th generation farmer is more than a grower of crops or a caretaker of livestock, he is committed to the family farm and his local community. He has gone to the local elementary school and day care for career day and talked to students about farming. Vehicle Day for first graders is where you will find him with a tractor for the students to climb all over. Year after year, he welcomes local school groups to visit the farm and learn about agriculture.

Whether helping neighbors in need, sharing wisdom with the next generation, or leading by example in the field, he has shown us all what it means to work with purpose, live with integrity, and give without expecting anything in return.

It’s not just the acres he has tended, or the harvests he has brought in, it’s the lives he has touched, the traditions he has preserved, and the spirit of community he has nurtured that make this honor so well deserved.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s distinguished service award recipient, Tim Luther!