Ronald
Binaghi, Jr., from Old Tappan, Bergen County, selected
as this year's Outstanding Young Farmer (OYF) by
the State Board of Agriculture, represented New
Jersey at the 44th Annual National Outstanding
Young Farmers Award Congress last month in Indianapolis,
Indiana. Binaghi, president of Stokes Farm, was
raised on his family vegetable and greenhouse farm
and is a fifth-generation grower. He maintains
three separate locations in the open-air farm market
system in Manhattan, known as the Greenmarket.
Competing at the Greenmarket and satisfying customers'
needs means that he must grow more than 60 varieties
of bedding and potted plants and more than 60 varieties
of vegetables, greens and herbs on his 17-acre
tract, just 20 minutes from the Big Apple. As a
result of his attention to customers' preferences,
Stokes Farm is known for the culinary herbs to
which a majority of the acreage is now devoted.
One of Stokes Farm's specialty items is an herbal
wreath which was featured on "Good Morning America" in
1997. Community service is also an important part
of Binaghi's life. He is active in numerous organizations,
including the Bergen County Soil Conservation District,
Council on the Environment of New York City Advisory
Board, his township Board of Health and the Town
Council. His community pride is reflected in the
offices he has held as a volunteer fireman, his
service as an auxiliary township police officer
and his volunteer position as coach for the local
soccer and softball associations. Binaghi also
plays an active role in his church serving as a
youth leader and minister. The National OYF Awards
Congress is sponsored annually by the U.S. Junior
Chamber of Commerce to honor the achievements of
a diverse group of enterprising farmers from across
the nation. The first New Jersey farmer to receive
the national OYF Award was Edward Wuillermin from
Hammonton, in 1955. Since that time, two more Garden
State farmers, Abbott Lee ('85) and James Giamarese
('89), have gone on to win the National OYF Award.
This year more than 250 people representing past
state winners, dignitaries and Jaycees attended
the ceremony to honor the 29 state OYF winners.
Binaghi and his wife Jeanine were joined at the
Congress by John and Martha Hubschmidt (1966) from
Bridgeton, Cumberland County. Among the notable
former state and national winners of the OYF award
is John R. Block (IL, '69), former U.S. Secretary
of Agriculture. During the National OYF Congress,
five leaders in America agriculture choose the
top four OYF candidates. The four national winners
for 2000 OYF are from Connecticut (dairy/grain),
New York (dairy), North Carolina (grain/sweet potatoes/cotton/tobacco),
and North Dakota (grain/sunflowers). For the first
time in the 45-year history of the OYF program,
the National OYF Award was bestowed on a woman
who operates a 650 head dairy herd on 1,800 acres
in New York. The Outstanding Young Farmer (OYF)
program recognizes farmers who are good stewards
of the land, conserving natural resources through
efficient and innovative practices. The program
also encourages better urban-rural relations and
a greater interest in the farmer through appreciation
of the farmers' contributions and achievements.
It is the oldest national farmer recognition program
in the United States, selecting its first group
of national winners in 1955. The National OYF program
is administered by the US Junior Chamber of Commerce,
sponsored by Deere & Company and Pioneer Hi-Bred
International, Inc., and supported by the more
than 1,600 past state and national OYF winners
who are members of the Outstanding Farmers of America
(OFA) Fraternity. The U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce
provides personal and professional development
through civic involvement to men and women ages
21-39. There are some 150,000 members in more than
3,000 chapters across the nation.
For
more information on the OYF program or to arrange
an interview with Binaghi, call Karen Kritz,
New Jersey's OYF Program Manger, at (609) 984-2506.
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