Foundation for Agriculture Announces 17th ‘Book of the Year’

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture presented its 17th “Book of the Year” award to author Roxanne Troup for “My Grandpa, My Tree, and Me.” The award was presented at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 105th Convention.

“My Grandpa, My Tree, and Me” follows Grandpa as he tenderly cares for each tree in his orchard, including his favorite – a pecan tree, planted for his granddaughter on the day she was born.

Roxanne Troup grew up along the waterways (and soybean fields) of Missouri, where everyone had a pecan tree but few grew pecans commercially. Today, she lives in the mountains of Colorado and writes kid’s books that celebrate wonder and family.

“Thank you so much for recognizing ‘My Grandpa, My Tree and Me,’” Troup said. “As a kid who grew up in the agricultural communities of the heartland, AFBFA’s award is doubly special — it is a validation, not only of my current work, but of my heritage. Thank you. Thank you for helping kids learn more about where our food comes from and the amazing people who work to feed the world.”

The “Book of the Year” award springs from the Foundation’s effort to identify “Accurate Ag Books,” a collection of nearly 500 books for children, teenagers and adults that accurately cover agricultural topics. Book of the Year selections are educational, help to create positive public perceptions about agriculture, inspire readers to learn more and touch their readers’ lives as well as tell the farmer’s story. The Accurate Ag Books database is available at http://www.agfoundation.org/recommended-pubs.

To accompany “My Grandpa, My Tree and Me,” the Foundation has created an educator’s guide for the book and an Ag Mag Mini on tree nuts. They are available here.

Financial Support of the Foundation

Several state Farm Bureaus were recognized at convention for exemplary financial support of the Foundation.

State Farm Bureaus receiving the Scholar Award are Georgia, Illinois, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. The Scholar Award is given to the six state Farm Bureaus with the highest total donations to the Foundation within their membership groups.

Seventeen state Farm Bureaus qualified for an Apex Award: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The Apex Award is given to state Farm Bureaus that have increased total contributions to the Foundation by 10% or more over the previous year.

Twenty-seven state Farm Bureaus qualified for the Leader Award: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. State Farm Bureaus are recognized with a Leader Award when each of their board members donates at least $50 to the Foundation.