ESSEX JUNCTION — Among this year’s inductees into the 11th annual Vermont Agriculture Hall of Fame are Addison County resident Sam Cutting III, of Dakin Farm in Ferrisburgh, and former Addison County resident John Deere, who was inducted posthumously. The awards will be presented at the Champlain Valley Fair in August.
The committee selects honorees based on criteria that include “a lifelong commitment and involvement in agriculture, a commitment that is not entirely financial, integrity, demonstrated leadership in moving agriculture and rural communities forward, rising above adversity, and passing agricultural values on to the next generation,” according to Jackie Folsom, Vermont Farm Show manager, who also chaired the 2013 Hall of Fame committee.
Past Addison County leaders who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame include the elder Foster brothers of Middlebury’s Foster Brothers Farm — Benjamin, Howard and George — and Millie Rooney of Monument Farms Dairy in Weybridge.
The 2013 honorees will be officially inducted during an Aug. 28 luncheon at the Champlain Valley Fair.
The ceremony takes place in two parts, Folsom said. Each year, a black and white photograph is taken of the honorees, then presented the following year. Therefore, the Aug. 28 ceremony will include a presentation of the photographs of the 2012 honorees, as well as the induction of the 2013 honorees.
Weybridge artist Deborah Holmes does a painting each year that is printed and given to the Hall of Fame inductees as an award. Honorees are selected based on industry or committee knowledge of their leadership, or through a short application available on the Champlain Valley Exposition website, www.cvexpo.org.