The Long Island Farm Bureau will honor the late Rodney Anderson, Mark Bridgen and Fred Thiele at its annual awards gala this year.
Anderson was posthumously selected for the Amherst Davis Memorial Farmer Citizen of the Year Award in recognition of his lifelong dedication to the agricultural industry and commitment to fostering the next generation of young people in farming through his work with the Young Farmers program though the Farm Bureau.
Anderson, of Aquebogue, was the owner of Nomad Nurseries and worked at Anderson farms in Riverhead. He was a member of the Suffolk County Planning Commission and the Town of Riverhead Farmland Preservation Committee. He was also a member of the boards of directors of the Long Island Farm Bureau and the New York State Farm Bureau. He was a member of the National Young Farmer Committee of the American Farm Bureau. Anderson died in May 2022 at age 51.
Bridgen will be awarded the Long Island Farm Bureau Citizen of the Year Award in recognition of his decades of contribution to horticultural research in the areas of Plant Breeding & Genetics as well as his over two decades of service as the director of the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center.
This year Long Island Farm Bureau will also be honoring retiring Assembly Member Fred Thiele with a Lifetime Impact Award for his years of dedication and service to the farming, fishing, and aquaculture industries on Long Island and in New York State.
“The farming community is fortunate to have so many people who provide such tremendous service and support to our industry,” Long Island Farm Bureau President Juan Micieli Martinez said in a press release announcing the gala. “We are honored to add these individuals to the already lengthy list of past recipients and carry on the legacy of celebrating their accomplishments to agriculture and our communities.”
The Long Island Farm Bureau gathers yearly to celebrate the achievements of its farmer members and citizens for their work on behalf of the agricultural industry. This year marks the LIFB’s 102nd awards gala, which will be held on Friday, April 5 at Riverhead Polish Hall, 214 Marcy Avenue, Riverhead.
The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a press conference and the presentation of proclamations by elected officials for award winners.
Cocktail hour and dinner will start at 6pm.
Tickets are $100 in advance and $125 at the door and include an entry to win a door prize. Tickets are available for purchase by calling Lauren at 631-599-0230 or on the Long Island Farm Bureau website www.LIFB.com/events.
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