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Eastern States Exposition annually bestows the Eastern States Exposition Agricultural Adventurers Award to outstanding leaders in New England agriculture. A special committee, appointed by the trustees of ESE, selects its fellows on the basis of innovation, pioneering and lifetime dedication to the betterment of agriculture. Each award winner has made significant contributions to New England agriculture. Click here for a full list of Agricultural Adventurers Award recipients.

Nominations for 2025 are due by February 3:
ESE Agricultural Adventurers Nomination Form

Recipients

2024 Marge L. Kilkelly

Marge Kilkelly is recognized for her local, national and international work in agriculture, ag education and agritourism.

2024 Randall Orchards

Randall Orchards, is recognized for its growth, diversification and for protecting its precious land against outside development.

2023 John C. Porter

John C. Porter had a long career as an agricultural extension educator and as a visionary agricultural preservationist who has inspired countless people to learn about and steward our region’s agricultural history and resources.

2023 Diane & Chuck Souther

Diane and Chuck Souther, purchased their farm, located on Mountain Road, in February of 1978 and have transformed it into Apple Hill Farm, a stunningly beautiful destination and thriving business. The farm at that time contained neglected crop land, numerous small hay fields, a large portion of wooded areas, and no buildings. Much work has been done in the ensuing years to develop the farm and business they have today.

2022 Gordy Cook

The 2022 Agricultural Adventurers award was given to premier Holstein breeder, Gordy Cook, and his century dairy farm in recognition of Cook’s work in the purebred cattle industry, advocating for dairy farmers as well as his service on the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact Commission. Cook Farm won Premier Breeder for 18 consecutive years at the Massachusetts State Dairy Show, and embryos from their herd have been sought out and sold to farmers around the world from England to Japan to Canada. Flayvors of Cook Farm, provides the public an open farmyard experience and unique ice cream flavors. The store has become a source of raw milk, meat, and local quality food, as well as providing a valuable and memorable window into agriculture.

2021 Matt & Ben Freund

The Freund Farm is an innovative leader in sustainability and environmental stewardship, creating CowPots: The Pots you plant!

2021 Terry & Jean Crum Jones

The Jones Family Farms is a multi-generational working farm, able to transform a traditional family farm into a direct-to-consumer marketing destination, emphasizing public relations and education programs. Their motto: “Be good to the land, and the land will be good to you.”

2020 Dr. J. BRENT LOY

UNH professor emeritus and research scientist, Dr. J. Brent Loy, is the 2020 recipient of ESE’s Agricultural Adventurers Award. The award was presented to Loy for his career-long development of more than 80 new varieties of squash, pumpkins, gourds and melons. His work represents the longest squash and pumpkin breeding program in North America and his seed varieties are sold in seed catalogs throughout New England and the world.

2019 Wilson S. “Bill” Clark

Legendary sugarmaker, Wilson S. “Bill” Clark, of Pawlet, Vermont, was honored for his significant and far-reaching contributions to the maple sugaring industry in Vermont and beyond. He served as the president of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association (VMSMA) for 32 years (1969-2001), as president of the North American Maple Syrup Council for eight years and was part of the group that formed the charter for the International Maple Syrup Institute. He organized the first Vermont Maplerama, a premier maple tour and was president of the Rutland County Maple Sugar Makers Association for eight years.

2018 Crane Brothers Farm

The Crane Brothers story begins with Mildred and George Crane who in the 1950s sold their farm to sons Vernon and Neil. In 1961, they entered into a contract with Frito Lay to produce chip potatoes for a plant in Fall River, Mass. In the mid-1970s Frito built what, at the time, was considered the largest snack food plant in the world in Killingly, Conn., and Crane Brothers Farms would keep pace with the plant’s needs by growing and expanding their potato acreage and becoming one of the largest suppliers of chip potatoes in the Northeast.

2017 Jan & Michelle Eckhart

From a humble beginning as a small strawberry patch in the early 80s to a beautiful farm market, café, wedding venue, pick your own and “the place to go” in the Newport, Rhode Island area, Jan and Michelle Eckhart’s Sweet Berry Farm of Middletown is the hallmark of a true agricultural adventure. In addition to their own produce, they sell local farmers’ products such as meat, eggs, milk and cheese, and developed a free concert series with local musicians and themed meals.

2016 Steve & Joan Verrill

Verrill Farm has been in operation since 1918, when Stephen’s parents opened a successful dairy business. Steve and Joan assumed operation of the farm in 1957. The business expanded to include sale of milk, eggs, baked goods and pick-your-own strawberries, eventually converting into a thriving market garden operation with a state-of-the-art retail stand and kitchen.

2015 Al & Barbara Bishop

Bishop’s Orchards, in Guilford, Conn., is a thriving Farm Market run by multiple generations of the Bishop family. The operation sells fruit, vegetables, fresh cut flowers, milk, eggs, jams, honey, cheeses and a variety of meats. Apples, berries, vegetables and flowers can be picked by customers. The Bishop’s Farm Bakery turns out fresh pies, breads, muffins and cookies daily and the award-winning Bishop’s Orchard Winery offers dozens of locally made wine, including 12 kinds of wine made at the orchard.

Ag Adventurers Committee

Stephen H. Taylor – Chair, New Hampshire

Randolph C. Blackmer, Jr. – Connecticut, Keith B. Bishop – Connecticut, Roderick W. Carr – Maine,Donald G. Marean – Maine, H. Sawin Millett, Jr. – Maine, Donald A. Upton – New Hampshire, Seth Johnson – Vermont, Martha Seifert – Vermont, Thomas P. Sandham – Rhode Island, Danielle Lawton – Massachusetts