Master Agriculturist

Since 1964, the Rotary Club of Ft Collins has recognized an outstanding farm/ranch individual or family who has made a significant contribution to the community with the "Master Agriculturist" award.  In addition to recognition by the club during our annual Rural/Urban club program, the recipient is also awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship.

The recipient of Master Agriculturalist for 2008/09 is Troy Seaworth

Jim Harper presented the Master Agriculturalist Award to Troy Seaworth. For the first time in the award’s 45 year history, we have a three-time award winning family. In 1968 Troy’s grandfather Harlan Seaworth was named Rotary’s Master Agriculturalist. His father, Richard Seaworth, followed 1997.

Troy graduated from Poudre High School, and Kansas State University with a BS in crop science. He and his father Richard still harvest crops off the same 160 acres that Grandfather Harlan bought in 1945. On their 600 acres near Wellington and center pivot irrigated land in Nebraska, Seaworth Corporation raises corn, sugar beets, wheat, and pinto beans. They also graze feeder cattle on rented California grassland. Through alfalfa crop rotation and GPS technology-aided close cultivation, part of their corn and wheat acreage qualifies as ‘organic. GPS also enables Skip Till farming, conserving water and fuel, and leaving soil-protecting crop residue.

In addition to environmental-friendly farming practices, Troy started an area recycling project, collecting waist agricultural plastic from his and other area farm, plus Larimer County and the Larimer County weed district. He also devotes one corner of a center pivot sprinkler for wildlife preservation, and the Skip Till residue is wildlife friendly.

Troy is current President of the Fort Collins Soil Conservation Board, serves on the Dry Bean Administrative Committee, and is a Larimer County Farm Service Agency committee member.

Past Master Agriculturalist Award Winners

1964   Dale Peterson
1965   John Weitzel
1966   Steve Goodwin
1967   Roy Portner
1968   Harlan Seaworth
1969   John Worthington
1970   LeRoy Swanson
1971   M.A. "Pat" Ferree
1972   Glenn Johnson
1973   Philip Schnorr
1974   R.E. Greenwalt
1975   H.F. Lind
1976   Paul Waag
1977   Ernest Nelson
1978   Edwin W. Johnson
1979   Francis Bee
1980   Kenneth Thayer
1981   Sam Matsuda
1982   Robert L. Stieben
1983   Earl E. Hoff
1984   Albert Kraft Sr.
1985   Edward Hansen
1986   Roland Feit
1987   Raymond Rein
1988   Ron Ruff
1989   Michael Dickinson
1990   Reinholt Blehm
1991   Gene & Allan Winick
1992   Robert C. Graves
1993   Adrian Weaver
1994   Ken Knievel
1995   Willis Smith
1996   Calvin Johnson
1997   Richard Seaworth
1998   Rodney Nelson
1999   Don Le Fever
2000   Susan Moore & Jon Slutsky
2001   Terry Dye
2002   Lewis Grant
2003/04   Eldon & Trulie Ackerman
2004/05   Mario Herrera
2005/06   Jackie Holdemess Worthington
2006/07   Philip Christopher Schnorr
2007/08   Bill Markham