Nebraska Corn Growers announces Golden Ear Award winner, new officers

At its annual meeting this week at the Nebraska Ag Classic, the Nebraska Corn Growers Association presented its Golden Ear Award and elected new officers for 2013.

The Golden Ear Award is presented annually to recognize and appreciate an individual’s contribution to agriculture. The 2012 award was presented Keith Olsen, past president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Carl Sousek (left), Nebraska Corn Growers Association
president, presents Keith Olsen with the
2012 Golden Ear Award.

“Keith Olsen has had an incredibly positive impact on agriculture and Nebraska during his years of service. The Golden Ear Award is our way of honoring him and his efforts,” said Carl Sousek, a farmer from Prague and president of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association. “His dedication, especially to young people through FFA, 4-H and other activities, is a model for us all of us.”

Olsen was born in Imperial in 1944 and was raised on the family farm near Venango. Now in its fourth generation, the Olsen farm is located in Perkins County, about 20 miles southwest of Grant. He attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln where he earned a degree in Agriculture Economics in 1967, after which he began farming with his father. He married his wife Doris in 1969.

In addition to farming, Olsen has served on the Nebraska Farm Bureau board of directors and was elected to the American Farm Bureau Federation board of directors in 2004. He was elected first vice president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau board in 1997, and was elected president in 2002, a position he held until retiring in December 2011.

Keith and Doris Olsen have three sons, Craig, Jeff and Curtis, and seven grand children.

Association Officers

From left: Joel Grams, Larry Mussack, Rick Gruber,
Chuck Emanual,and Carl Sousek.

The Nebraska Corn Growers Association board of directors also elected new officers for 2013 following the organization’s annual meeting.

Joel Grams of Minden was elected the association’s new president. He previously served as vice president and is a member of the Kearney-Franklin Corn Growers Association.

Larry Mussack of Decatur was elected vice president. He is a member of the Burt-Washington Corn Growers Association.

Chuck Emanual of North Bend was elected treasurer of the organization. He is a member of the Colfax-Dodge Corn Growers Association.

Rick Gruber of Benedict was re-elected as secretary. He will oversee the association’s records and is a member of the York County Corn Growers Association.

Carl Sousek will move from president to chairman of the organization.

Two at-large directors were also elected at the annual meeting. They include Curtis Rohrich of Wood River and Rick Gruber of Benedict.