Wisconsin Ag Connection - Cates, Bartholomew Named WFBF Distinguished Service Honorees

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Cates, Bartholomew Named WFBF Distinguished Service Honorees
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 12/07/2020

Three supporters of the state's agricultural sector were among this year's Distinguished Service Award recipients of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau this year. During the organization's 101st annual convention on Friday, Dick Cates was presented with the Distinguished Service to Wisconsin Agriculture Award, while Bob & Carol Bartholomew were bestowed with Distinguished Service to Farm Bureau citations.

Cates earned his Ph.D. in soil science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and his wife, Kim, co-own Cates Family Farm LLC in Iowa County with their children. In 1995, he helped create the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers, which is a program within UW-Madison's Farm and Industry Short Course and Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems that teaches young farmers what they need to know when starting their farming businesses.

Dick served on the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture board of directors and the USDA Secretary's Advisory Council for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. He also serves on the boards of the town of Wyoming, Spring Green Fire District, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Upland Hills Health Foundation, and the Sand County Foundation. Additionally, the Cates family has been recognized for their soil and water conservation work through various awards since 1998 and are members of the Iowa County Uplands Farmer-Led Watershed Project and the Lowery Creek Watershed Initiative.

The Bartholomews were actively involved in Farm Bureau for many years. During his time as Waukesha County Farm Bureau president, Bob invited guest speakers to several board meetings and the county annual meeting. He also helped start the county Ag in the Classroom program and enjoyed visiting fourth-grade classrooms to teach students about agriculture. Bob and Carol also served as general leaders for their local 4-H club.

Bob was a delegate to the WFBF annual meeting for many years, served on many state committees, and was involved in the first steps of use-value assessment with state legislators and other county Farm Bureau directors. Carol served as chair of the county women's committee for 18 years. She was the chair of the publicity and newsletter committee from 1987 to 2008. She also was the county historian and did a majority of the research for Waukesha County Farm Bureau's 75th, 80th and 100th anniversaries.

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