CHAFFEE FARM COUPLE WINS NATIONAL FARM BUREAU HONOR

A Southeast Missouri farm couple has received the American Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award, a top national honor.

David Herbst and his wife, Leslie, who farm near Chaffee, are continuing the tradition of David Herbst's family by becoming the fourth generation to work the Southeast Missouri farm.

"Leslie and I are elated to become the National Achievement Award winners," said David Herbst. "We are most proud of the fact that we represented Missouri in such a fun and exciting event."

The Herbsts, who won the Missouri Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award last month, were one of 37 state couples in the running for the national award presented in Houston, Texas.

The Herbsts were among the top 10 contestants selected to go through an interview process.

Two days after the recent interviews, the Herbsts were named winners.

Herbst is the second Missourian to ever win the award. Sam Graves of Tarkio was the national winner in 1991.

As winners, the Herbsts were at Auffenberg Chrysler Friday to pick up the keys to a new Dodge pickup truck courtesy of the Dodge Truck Division of Chrysler. The Herbsts also won an all-terrain vehicle courtesy of Arctic Cat, which they received at Sappington's in Jackson; a year's subscription to ACRES On The Internet market news service courtesy of American Agricultural Communications Inc.; and free registration to the upcoming American Farm Bureau Leadership Conference.

The Herbsts had thought about the competition for the past few years.

"We talked about it the first year (1992) we attended the Missouri Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference at Lake of the Ozarks" said David Herbst. "We decided to wait a few years until we had a track record with our operation."

Herbst started operating the farm in 1991 following the death of his grandfather. "I worked with my grandfather before his death," said Herbst.

Over the years the Herbsts have taken some unique approaches to numerous agricultural issues such as caring for the environment, managing and renting land.

The Herbst grow corn, soybeans, wheat and grain sorghum, with the majority of the corn grown on ground that can be irrigated.