This award is presented to an Allied Industry Council or Management & Sales Council member who has demonstrated exemplary and committed service to NAFB. The award was renamed in 2006 to honor longtime member, leader and historian Dix Harper. It was first presented in 1957 to Charlie Karr. Karr was a sales promotion manger for Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During Karr’s 35 years in the farm machinery business he spent more than $5,000,000 on farm radio and television advertising, according to the December 1957 eChats.
2022 Tim Marshall KRVN Rural Radio Network Lexington, NE |
2021 Brenda Curtis USDA Radio (retired) Silver Spring, MD |
2020 Bill Holst WNAX Radio Yankton, SD |
2019 Russ Parker J.L. Farmakis Lovilia, IA |
2018 Mary Kay Thatcher Syngenta Washington, DC |
2017 Lance Knudson American Ag Network Grand Forks, ND |
2016 Sara Wyant Agri-Pulse Communications Camdenton, MO |
2015 Mike Perrine MP Ag Radio Troy, IL |
2014 Bill Farmakis J.L. Farmakis Wilton, CT |
2013 Lynn Henderson Agri Marketing Adel, IA |
2012 Mike Hansen RFD-TV Omaha, NE |
2011 John Vasichek Red River Farm Network Grand Forks, ND |
2010 Denny Waddle KRVN Rural Radio Network Lexington, NE Roger Olson National 4-H Hudson, WI |
2009 Ron Claussen Ag Media Research Sioux Falls, SD |
2008 Mark Vail Eagle Communications Parkville, MO |
2007 Vic McGill Clear Channel/Katz Advantage Chicago, IL |
2006 Lyle Orwig Charleston|Orwig Hartland, WI |
2005 Barry Nelson John Deere Lenexa, KS |
2004 Gary Crawford USDA Washington, DC |
2003 Hugh Whaley Osborn & Barr Communications St. Louis, MO |
2023 | Gardner Hatch – Woodruff, Cottage Grove, MN | |
2022 | Tim Marshall – KRVN Rural Radio Network, Lexington, NE | |
2021 | Brenda Curtis – USDA Radio (retired), Silver Spring, MD | |
2020 | Bill Holst – WNAX Radio, Yankton, SD | |
2019 | Russ Parker – J.L. Farmakis, Lovilia, IA | |
2018 | Mary Kay Thatcher – Syngenta, Washington, DC | |
2017 | Lance Knudson – American Ag Network, Grand Forks, ND | |
2016 | Sara Wyant – Agri-Pulse Communications, Camdenton, MO | |
2015 | Mike Perrine - MP Ag Radio, Troy, IL | |
2014 | Bill Farmakis - J.L. Farmakis, Inc., Wilton,CT | |
2013 | Lynn Henderson – Agri Marketing, Adel, IA | |
2012 | Mike Hansen - RFD-TV, Omaha, NE | |
2011 | John Vasichek - Red River Farm Network, Grand Forks, ND | |
2010 | Roger Olson - National 4-H, Hudson, WI and Denny Waddle - KRVN/Rural Radio Network, Lexington, NE | |
2009 | Ron Claussen - Ag Media Research, Sioux Falls, SD | |
2008 | Mark Vail - Eagle Communications, Inc., Parkville, MO | |
2007 | Vic McGill - Clear Channel/KATZ Advantage, Chicago, IL | |
2006 | Lyle Orwig - Charleston|Orwig, Hartland, Wisconsin | |
2005 | Barry Nelson - John Deere, Lenexa, Kansas | |
2004 | Gary Crawford - USDA, Washington, D.C. | |
2003 | Hugh Whaley - Osborn & Barr Communications, St. Louis, Missouri | |
2002 | Gene Hemphill - New Holland North America, New Holland, Pennsylvania | |
2001 | Cindy Cunningham - National Pork Board, Des Moines, Iowa | |
2000 | John Block - Food Distributors International, Falls Church, Virginia | |
1999 | Larry Quinn - USDA Office of Communications, Washington, D.C. | |
1998 | Anna Pfrang - Retired Former NAFB Staff Member, Topeka, Kansas | |
1997 | Ted Haller - Katz Radio Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
1996 | Jim Evans - Retired, University of Illinois, Philo, Illinois | |
1995 | Donna French Dunn - U.S. Feed Grains Council, Washington, D.C. | |
1994 | Vic Powell - United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Communications, Washington, D.C. | |
1993 | John Harvey - John Harvey Communications, Wilmington, Delaware | |
1992 | Skip Ragland - Ciba-Geigy, Greensboro, North Carolina | |
1991 | Charles Harness - National Pork Producers Council, Des Moines, Iowa | |
1990 | Gene Millard - KFEQ, St. Joseph, Missouri | |
1989 | Wava Pippert - Chair of NAFB Spouses Program; wife of Paul Pippert, WIBW, Topeka, Kansas | |
1988 | Charles Might - NAFB Sales/Marketing, Racine, Wisconsin | |
1987 | Tom Hoy - National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Washington, D.C. | |
1986 | Jim Johnson - Chief, Radio and TV, U.S. Department of Agriculture | |
1985 | George Logan - WIBW-TV, Topeka, Kansas and Executive Secretary, NAFB National Office | |
1984 | Herb Plambeck - Living History Farms, Des Moines, Iowa | |
1983 | Glenn Kummerow - Katz Radio Group, Chicago, Illinois | |
1982 | Fred Masterson - Elanco Products Company, Indianapolis, Indiana | |
1981 | Ray Kremer - NAFB Sales/Marketing, Mt. Dora, Florida | |
1980 | Layne Beaty - Chief, Radio and TV, U.S. Department of Agriculture | |
1979 | Dr. F. L. Whan - KWFT, Wichita Falls, Texas | |
1978 | Ray C. Senate - WIBW, Topeka, Kansas | |
1977 | Leo B. Olson - DeKalb Ag Research, Inc., DeKalb, Illinois | |
1976 | Lee Bullis - Allen & Dorward, San Francisco, California | |
1975 | Jim Mills - National Agricultural Chemicals Association | |
1974 | Bill Alford - WMT, Cedar Rapids, Iowa | |
1973 | Ben Ludy - KWFT, Wichita Falls, Texas | |
1972 | Charles Dana Bennett - Foundation for American Agriculture, Washington, D.C. | |
1971 | Jack Towers - U.S. Department of Agriculture | |
1970 | Ward L. Quaal - WGN, Chicago, Illinois | |
1969 | Larry Haeg - WCCO, Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
1968 | Emmett Barker - American Feed Manufacturers Association | |
1967 | Jack Timmons - KWKH, Shreveport, Louisiana | |
1966 | Stan Torgerson - WMC, Memphis, Tennessee | |
1965 | George Biggar - WLBK, DeKalb, Illinois | |
1964 | Wallace Kadderly - Retired Oregon Farm Broadcaster and Chief, Radio & TV, U.S. Department of Agriculture | |
1963 | Phil Alampi - New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture | |
1962 | Milt Bliss - Soil Conservation Service, Hartford, Wisconsin | |
1961 | Roy Battles - The National Grange, Washington, D.C. | |
1960 | Frank Mullen and Bill Drips - NBC | |
1959 | Dix Harper - Aubrey, Finlay, Marley & Hodgson, Inc., Chicago, Illinois | |
1958 | Louis H. Wilson - National Plant Food Institute, Washington, D.C. | |
1957 | Charlie Karr - Allis Chalmers Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |