North Fork grower Eric Keil, Suffolk County soil technician Sharon Frost and Farm Credit East were feted last night by the Long Island Farm Bureau at is 98th Annual Awards Gala at Polish Hall in Riverhead.
Keil, recipient of the Amherst Davis Memorial Farmer Citizen Award, runs Otto Keil Florist/Emma’s Gardens with his three brothers, delivering annuals, shrubs, perennials and soil products to local landscapers, garden centers and florists in the metro area, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Mattituck resident, is a former member of the L.I. Farm Bureau board of directors, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Agricultural Stewardship Program Advisory Committee, the Southold Land Preservation Committee and Southold Local Affairs Committee. He is also a past-president of the L.I. Flower Growers Association and is a commodore of the Old Cove Yacht Club in New Suffolk.
Frost is known among farmers at “the tank lady.” They praise her work in the Suffolk County’s Soil and Water Conservation District’s fuel tank replacement program, which the farm bureau calls a “model of excellence” in replacing aging agricultural fuel tanks. Her efforts helped farmers replace 185 fuel tanks on 110 farms in Suffolk, with grant assistance, over a three-year period. She also worked with the county to increase storage regulatory amounts from 250 to 1,000 gallons for on-farm use.
Farm Credit East, a specialized financial institution serving the agricultural community, is celebrating its centennial this year. “Farm Credit is a great asset to the agricultural industry,” according to the farm bureau.
“Eric is not only a farmer, but he’s a neighbor and friend,” County Legislator Al Krupski said of Keil. “Growing up, his parents had the farm across the street from my parents. We always thought they were like the Waltons because there were so many of them,” Krupski joked. “They were wonderful neighbors.”
The three honorees received proclamations from the federal, state, county and town governments, presented last night by elected officials or their representatives.
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