Fond du Lac County dairy farmers, Chris and Kelly Pollack, were selected as the winners of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmer and Agriculturist (YFA) Achievement Award at the organization’s 96th Annual Meeting on December 6.
The Pollacks farm with his parents near Ripon, where they milk about 150 cows, farm 650 acres and have heifer and calf facilities. Chris attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Farm and Industry Short Course before returning to Pollack-Vu Dairy LLC. He is involved with the Fond du Lac County Young Farmer and Agriculturist program, Ripon FFA Alumni and coaches the Fond du Lac County dairy judging team.
Kelly (Sime) Pollack grew up on a dairy farm near Stoughton in Dane County. She earned degrees in dairy science and life sciences communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She previously worked for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation as a district coordinator and at Filament Marketing in Madison.
Married earlier this year, they are graduates of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Institute leadership training course.
Farm Bureau’s Achievement Award is a contest that awards farmers between the ages of 18 and 35, who have excelled in their farming career, understand current issues affecting agriculture and have shown leadership and involvement in Farm Bureau and other civic organizations.
In 2013, Chris Pollack won the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Discussion Meet. In 2014, he was a top four finalist at the American Farm Bureau’s national Discussion Meet. Earlier this year, he was chosen to participate in the American Farm Bureau’s Partners in Agricultural Leadership honors program along with nine other young leaders. PAL is designed to help agricultural leaders accelerate their leadership abilities and solidify their roles as advocates for agriculture.
The Pollacks will compete in the national Achievement Award contest at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 97th Annual Meeting next month in Orlando, Florida.
They also qualify to attend a trip to Washington, D.C., in 2016. He will be a guest of the WFBF at next year’s WFBF YFA Conference, and of GROWMARK, Inc., at its annual meeting in Chicago in August, 2016. Fabick Cat provided 40 hours use of a skid-steer loader. The Rural Mutual Insurance Company provided a free financial plan to the Achievement Award Winner.
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