Ryan and Amy Musgrave Take Home Nebraska Farm Bureau’s Excellence in Agriculture Award
KEARNEY, NEB. – Ryan and Amy Musgrave of Ong were named the recipients of the 2018 Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award. The award was given Dec. 4, at the Membership Recognition luncheon during the Nebraska Farm Bureau’s 101st Annual Convention held Dec. 2-4 in Kearney, Nebraska.
Ryan and Amy Musgrave, of Clay County Farm Bureau, were recognized for their ongoing involvement and commitment to agriculture. Candidates for the award are judged on their involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, and involvement and participation in Farm Bureau and other civic, service, and community organizations.
Ryan enlisted in the Navy after high school, served four years, and went on two deployments. After the Navy, he received a diploma in welding. He has an 11-year old son, Dax, who is happy to be on the farm as he is involved with 4-H. Having another generation on their farm is important to the couple. Amy attended Oklahoma State and studied animal science and agricultural communications, earning a bachelor’s degree with a double major and a minor in agricultural economics. She went on to get her master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri. Aside from their full-time positions, they raise Angus and Simmental cattle, club lambs, and Boer goats.
Ryan works for a diversified grain and livestock operation and delivers wet distillers grains to various cattle operations in the Hastings area. Amy works as a statistician, assisting in the estimation and production of various United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports and works part-time at a local veterinary clinic as an office assistant.
“It is important to tell our agriculture story to anyone and everyone who will listen. I have been an Ag Pen Pal the last two years and we use our social media presence to highlight the treatment our animals receive. As a USDA employee, I can put out timely and accurate statistics to keep farmers and ranchers better informed of the current state of agriculture and markets. With our involvement in the local county fair with Ryan’s son, Dax, we are helping the next generation of farmers and ranchers get and stay involved in agriculture,” Amy said.
The Musgraves are involved in their Clay County Farm Bureau with Amy serving as president and Ryan as a board member. Within the next five years, their goals include being members of Nebraska Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, participating in the organizations Leadership Academy, making Clay County’s membership quota, and Ryan hopes to get on the Clay County Fair Board.
Farm Bureau members between the ages of 18 and 35 can apply for the Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture award. As Nebraska winners, the Musgraves will receive $500 and an all-expenses paid trip to the 2019 American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana in January to compete in the contest at the national level.
The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service and advocacy efforts. More than 61,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit www.nefb.org.
