To honor the late Francis Childs, the Conklin Company recognizes an individual who has significantly impacted agriculture. Francis Childs was the “King of Corn,” he was a farming legend and pioneer in raising high yield corn. In 2001, when his county average was 153 BPA, Francis was the first farmer in the world to break the 400-bushel benchmark and beyond. He still holds the dry land world record of 442.14 BPA to date, a record he set in 2002.

Francis was forward thinking when it came to growing corn; he envisioned harvesting 600 bushels per acre.  He walked his fields daily and would strategize, enlist experts for advice and make changes in his farming practices when warranted. Francis freely shared his experience and farming practices with thousands of farmers worldwide. He would leave them with a focused message: Have a positive attitude and do not be afraid to make changes.

“I am grateful for Francis, his friendship, all he shared with me and so many others. He loved the land, was proud to operate his family farm, and had a passion to help farmers improve their operations and ultimately their yields,” said Charles W. Herbster.

“I see the same attributes in Tom Burke, the recipient of the Francis Childs Agricultural Award,” added Charles Herbster. Tom lives the Angus breed; it is in his blood.  He is a fourth-generation cattleman and owner of his farm in Minnesota homesteaded over 125 years ago. I don’t know anyone else who has the passion and drive for Angus cattle than Tom. He has taken part in over 8,500 Angus sales in his career, which has given Tom the opportunity to learn from the past and have a strong influence on the future.”

Charles continued, “Tom has truly impacted the Angus breed! He has touched the lives of thousands of breeders while supporting their operations. He has invested countless hours of research as he documented and made available three centuries of Angus history and statistics in ‘Angus Legends.’”

Plan to the visit the American Angus Hall of Fame at the World Angus Headquarters in Smithville, Mo., to get a glimpse of the history of the Angus breed and future of the industry.

Let Tom know how much you appreciate him and his support

of Angus producers and the Angus breed!