Each year, Fayette County comes together for the Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet, which highlights a pair of individuals that have contributed to the agriculture industry on the county, state, national and sometimes international levels.
On Tuesday, March 12 at the Mahan Building on the Fayette County Fairgrounds, Tom Lindsey, from the Deer Creek area, and Floyd Eichelberger, formerly of Jeffersonville, will be the next two individuals added to the prestigious list of Fayette County Agricultural Hall of Fame inductees. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a social time, followed by a sit-down meal and then the induction program.
Lindsey was born Oct. 16, 1946 and married his wife, Connie Sue (Porter) in December of 1969. Tom and Connie’s family includes; a daughter Heather (Lindsey) and the late Chad Hoffman, their two children Seth and Silas and a son, Shawn and (Amiee Cottrill) Lindsey and their children, Natalie and Nicholas. Lindsey was a 1964 graduate of Miami Trace High School, received a bachelor of science in 1968 and a master of science in 1970, both in agriculture from the Ohio State University.
Tom has spent countless hours around beef cattle, not only on the home family farm but as the superintendent of the Ohio State Fair Beef Show, in the show ring judging beef cattle, and in leadership positions for many county and state beef cattle organizations. The Ag HoF banquet will be a great opportunity to hear many more details about Tom Lindsey, his family, his love of beef cattle and his contributions to the agriculture industry.
Floyd Eichelberger will also be inducted in the Ag HoF. Eichelberger was born on Oct. 1, 1881, three miles east of Jeffersonville. He operated the farm all of his life. He graduated from Jeffersonville High School and the Ohio State University’s College of Agriculture. Eichelberger was one of the founding members of the Ohio Seed Improvement Association in 1908, helped organize the Fayette County Farm Bureau in 1919, and was vice president of the Fayette County Agricultural Society in 1923 when it was organized to revitalize the Fayette County Fair.
Eichelberger was noted for his ability to produce corn and hogs. In 1923, he qualified for Ohio State University’s College of Agriculture, Hundred Bushel Club for growing 101 bushels of corn per acre on 10 acres, and in 1925 his 10-acre field produced 122 bushels of corn per acre. Eichelberger also raised Duroc hogs and produced a litter each year between 1924 and 1927 that weighed over a ton for a single litter that qualified for the Ohio State University’s College of Agriculture Ton-Litter Club.
In 1925, Eichelberger partnered with W.W. Montgomery, Fayette County’s Extension Agent to persuade dozens of local farmers to enter their best ears of corn in the National Seed Corn Show held in Chicago. Eichelberger’s life was cut short at the age of 46 in June of 1927 due to complications of an appendicitis. To honor his legacy and speak on Eichelberger’s behalf will be John Leland and Kurt Coil.
Tickets for the March 12 banquet are on sale for $15 at the Ohio State University Extension Office or from a committee member of the Fayette County Hall of Fame. Reservations and tickets need to be secured by today.
The trophy case for the Fayette County Agricultural Hall of Fame is located at the Agricultural Center, which is located at 1415 Clinton Ave., Washington Court House. The membership list of the Ag. HoF and applications for the 2020 Agricultural Hall of Fame are available online at www.fayette.osu.edu. The application can either be completed online or a printed application can be picked up at the Ohio State University Extension Office, located in suite 100 in the Agricultural Center.
Any questions about the Fayette County Agricultural Hall of Fame can be directed to Ken Ford, Fayette County ANR Educator, at 740-335-1150.
