Honoring an Outspoken Animal Agriculture Advocate

This week at the Tippecanoe County Fair the county Farm Bureau and Hoosier Ag Today teamed to present the 3^rd annual Grand Champion of Animal Care. Nearly a hundred 4-H’ers received Champion of Agriculture t-shirts, but the grand champion honors went to Layne Lumley, a recent McCutcheon High School graduate.

She has been a dedicated caretaker of her beef and swine projects “by just taking care of the animals and doing it well. And by doing that you’re also portraying to the public that producers are taking care of our animals and we’re taking care of them right. It’s just a really fun thing to do and it does take a lot of work, but it is very rewarding at the end of the summer to see your work paying off, whether it be winning a show or just having a good time.”

County Farm Bureau President Kevin Underwood made the presentation in front of a packed coliseum in Lafayette. He told HAT Layne was a great choice given her dedication to promoting the animal care message.

“Layne has been heavily involved not only in 4-H and all the animal projects, but had also been a real leader in FFA when she was in high school being not only the president and the vice president but also being heavily involved in livestock judging and public speaking. So she’s been someone who’s really worked on the skills trying to be an advocate for agriculture and really being an outspoken spokesperson for the industry.”

[audio:https://www.hoosieragtoday.com//wp-content/uploads//2012/07/Lumley-wins-Tipp-award.mp3|titles=Lumley wins Tipp award]Lumley said it’s important to continue finding ways to connect consumers with where they’re food is coming from. She has done a lot of research for her presentations on the subject and encourages consumers to do the same while not just accepting the first anti-animal agriculture message they’re exposed to.

Lumley received numerous gifts from the Indiana Farm Bureau.

Hear the full HAT interview with Lumley:[audio:https://www.hoosieragtoday.com//wp-content/uploads//2012/07/Layne-Lumley-2012-CAC-Grand-Champion.mp3|titles=Layne Lumley 2012 CAC Grand Champion]

Hear the full HAT interview with Underwood:[audio:https://www.hoosieragtoday.com//wp-content/uploads//2012/07/Kevin-Underwood-on-2012-Champions-of-Animal-Care.mp3|titles=Kevin Underwood on 2012 Champions of Animal Care]