The Ninth Annual Agriculture Appreciation and Awareness Banquet will honor a number of leaders in agriculture tonight at Banita Creek Hall.
The event will begin with a meet-and-greet at 6 p.m., the buffet opens at 6:30 p.m., and the program will follow at 7 p.m. with legendary football coach and rancher Gene Stallings as the keynote speaker.
The banquet is a cooperative effort of local agencies interested in promoting and honoring agriculture in Nacogdoches County. Those include Nacogdoches County Farm Bureau, Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce, Nacogdoches Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO), Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Cooperative Extension Program, Pineywoods RC&D, Stephen F. Austin State University/Agriculture Department and Texas Forest Service, said Peggy Muckelroy, vice president of NEDCO and a member of the chamber's ag committee.
Honorees will be the Jerry Nichols Family, Farm Family of the Year; Albert Thompson, Agriculture Pioneer of the Year; Sam B. Hayter Trust, Agribusiness of the Year; and Dr. Dale Perritt, Agriculture Educator of the Year. The Mast Cattle and Timber Investments is providing the beef for the dinner.
Scholarships will be awarded to students studying or intending to study agriculture, forestry or environmental science at SFA, Muckelroy said.
