2015 AgriVision Award presented at Indiana State Fair

Aug 25, 2015

For the first time there were dual recipients

During the Celebration of Agriculture at the Indiana State Fair, Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann presented the 2015 AgriVision Award to Dr. Don Orr of JBS United and Don Villwock of Indiana Farm Bureau.

The award is given to people in Indiana who demonstrate exceptional leadership and try to maximize Indiana’s agricultural potential. 2015 marks the first year that two people have received the award.

“This award recognizes a deep commitment and vision for Indiana agriculture, two items that both Don Orr and Don Villwock embody,” said Ted McKinney, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). “They are outstanding examples of the drive it takes to further promote and advance the best of Indiana agriculture.”

About The Recipients:

Don Orr

President of JBS United, a company known for its research farms, farm management practices and advances in genetics
Serves as the Director of Texas Tech Swine Research Center and Chairman for the American Feed Industry Association

Don Villwock

President of Indiana Farm Bureau and Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance
Owns a farm in Knox County and produces white corn, soybeans, seed soybeans and seed wheat
Was appointed by George H.W. Bush as State Executive Director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation

Mr. Orr and Mr. Villwock weren’t the only award recipients at the Indiana State Fair.

Beth Archer, the executive director of AgriInstitute, took home the 2015 Leadership Award. She helps promote leaders in agriculture on many different levels. She will also coordinate the Agricultural Leadership Program where she will help people involved in agriculture develop leadership skills for businesses and communities.

Linda Baird, owner and operator of Cornucopia Farm in Washington County received the 2015 Achievement Award. She receives nearly 5,000 visitors at the farm each year and is one of the five women who founded SWAG (See What Ag Gives).

Congratulations to all the award winners.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.