Farm City Banquet 2019

DALE HALLMAN REMEMBERED - The late Saluda County Deputy Sheriff Dale Hallman was posthumously presented the Farm-City Citizen of the Year Award. Pictured above are his family, along with Sheriff John Perry and banquet speaker Jackie Swindler. (Standard-Sentinel photo)

ERIC CHAPMAN REMEMBERED - The late Johnston Police Officer Eric Chapman was posthumously presented the Farm-City Citizen of the Year Award. Pictured above are his family and friends, along with Johnston Police Chief Lamaz Robinson and banquet speaker Jackie Swindler. (Standard-Sentinel photo)

Fallen Officers Remembered At
Annual Farm-City Banquet

  The Saluda County Farm-City Citizen of the Year award was presented in memory of two fallen law enforcement officers, Eric Chapman and Dale Hallman.
  The presentation was made at the annual banquet, held at Saluda High School on Thurs., Nov. 15.
  Guest speaker was Saluda native and former Newberry Police Chief Jackie Swindler.
  Swindler, who is now director of the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy, used his growing up in Saluda to emphasize the Farm-City theme.
  “I lived in town, but I spent many hours hauling hay on Saluda County farms,” he said.
  Swindler mentioned several Saluda High School teachers, who influenced him, including Russell Hughes, Phil Flynn, Gloria Caldwell and Bela Herlong, the later two who taught him how to write and “speak proper English.”
  He also remembered his football coach Bettis Herlong.
  He said he heard you should tell people face-to-face what they mean to you.
  “So, I drove over to Saluda and went to see Coach Herlong, and let him know what he meant to my life.”
  Swindler said Herlong thanked him, and the two men hugged.
  “I’m so glad I had a chance to do that before he died.”
  Swindler turned the later part of his speech toward law enforcement.
  He pointed out the law enforcement officers commitment during 9-11.
  “They didn’t run away from danger. They ran toward it. That’s what Eric and Dale were doing when they lost their lives. They were going toward danger.”
  Swindler said he felt law enforcement officers were called by God, and quoted Romans 8:13 - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
  After Swindler’s speech, the two officers were recognized.
  Johnston Police Chief Lamaz Robinson, also a Saluda native, remembered his officer Eric Chapman, and his devotion to profession, being always williing to assist, event when he was off duty.
  Sheriff John Perry said it was very difficult to lose his brother-in-law Chapman, and a few months later lose one of his deputies, Dale Hallman, who was like a son to him.
  Robinson and Perry presented Citizen of the Year plaques to the widows, Tonya Chapman and Brandi Hallman, and to the parents.
  Kevin Crouch of Crouch Hardware served as master of ceremonies. Rev. Ross Kellis of Radius Church led the Pledge of Allegiance and gave the invocation.
  After the dinner, catered by Riley’s on Main, Wanda McCarty entertained, singing two songs.
  Julia Willis of the Pyracantha Garden Club, explained out the garden club came up with the red, white and blue, law enforcement theme arrangements, using coffee cans and creamer bottles for the vases, in tribute to law enforcement officers loving coffee.
  The meeting concluded with many door prizes being given away. Ashley Miller won the grand prize, a 50-inch television, donated by Aiken and Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperatives.

Extra Penny Sales
Tax Now Offcial

  Saluda County’s additional one cent sales tax for capital projects became official with the passage of a resolution at the Mon., Nov. 12, County Council meeting.
  The resolution declaring the results for the sales tax passed unanimously by the three Council members, Frank Daniel, D.J. Miller and Gwen Shealy, present.
 Under the terms of the referendum that passed in the General Election on Nov. 6, the sales tax will be imposed in Saluda County for not  more than eight years and will begin May 1, 2019.
  The one cent sales tax increase for capital improvements will include the following projects:
    1. Saluda County Library (Saluda County) $125,000
  2. Saluda County Animal Shelter (Saluda County) $125,000
  3. Ridge Spring Downtown Revitalization and Economic Development $175,000 (Town of Ridge Spring)
  4. Reconstruction of Bathrooms at Brooks Roston Park (Saluda Recreation District) $50,000
  5. Saluda County Detention Center (Saluda County) $8,434,304
  At the beginning of the meeting, Council gave second reading to ordinances dealing with building distance and setback requirements, and hangar lease agreements at the airport.
  A $4000 security system for the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division building was approved. A camera system for the same building was deferred until more information could be received.
  Council gave first  reading to an ordinance for the development of a joint industrial  and business park, located in Edgefield County. As a sponsor of the park, Saluda County will received some proceeds without having to put in any funding.
  First reading was also given to an ordinance that will grant the Saluda County Water and Sewer Authority to purchase two tracts of real property from the county near the Saluda CPW wasterwater treatment plant.
  WSA director Jason Fell said this land will be used for a possible joint project between the county and the Town of Saluda.
  CPA David Enzastiga presented the audited financial statements for Fiscal Year 2017-2018. The audit got an unqualified opinion, the best that can be given.
  Council approved funding $34,235 from contingency for the employee health insurance increase for six months.
  Gerry Grenier was approved the Ridge Spring Fire Department representative on the Fire Board.
 

Incumbents win

Incumbents Win

  In Saluda County’s few contested races in the General Election on  Nov. 6, incumbents came out on top.
  Saluda Mayor Amelia Herlong and school board members Kathy Coleman and Jim Moore won re-election.
  The one cent sales tax increase for capital improvements passed.
  The projects these funds will go to include:
  1. Saluda County Library (Saluda County) $125,000
  2. Saluda County Animal Shelter (Saluda County) $125,000
  3. Ridge Spring Downtown Revitalization and Economic Development $175,000 (Town of Ridge Spring)
  4. Reconstruction of Bathrooms at Brooks Roston Park (Saluda Recreation District) $50,000
  5. Saluda County Detention Center (Saluda County) $8,434,304
  The referendum for the $90 million school building project for Lexington District three failed in Saluda County, as it did throughout the district.
  The question on the statewide ballot that would allow the Superintendent of Education to be appointed by the Governor, rather than being elected, failed in Saluda County 4161-2389 and statewide.
  Like the rest of the country the turnout  was good in Saluda County, as 6966 citizens voted, or 61.77 percent.
  Following are the election results beginning with the contested races:
  Saluda Mayor: Amelia Herlong -  391; Michelle R. Curry - 350
  Saluda County Schools School Board :Seat 2: Katherine Coleman - 287; Crystal Gibson - 167. Seat 4: Sunday Jacobs Minick - 203; James Moore - 290
  Lexington School District Three: William Berry - 207; Frances Bouknight - 418; Cheryl Burgess - 263; William Cogdill - 188; Gariane Gunter - 293
  Saluda County One Cent Sales Tax: Yes - 3546; No - 3134
  Lexington School District Referendum: Yes - 196; No - 491
  Elections for offices are as follows:
  Governor: James Smith ,   Mandy Powers Norrell, Democrat - 2356;; Henry McMaster - Pamela Evette, Republican - 4516
  Secretary of State: Melvin T. Whittenburg, Democrat - 2136; Mark Hammond, Republican - 4705.  
  State Treasurer: Rosalyn L Glenn, Democrat - 2042;  Rosalyn Glenn, Working Families - 89; Curtis Loftis, Republican - 4631; Sarah Wok, American - 89.
  Attorney General: Constance Anastopoulo, Democratic - 2212; Constance Anastopoulo, Working Families - 120; Alan Wilson, Republican - 4530
  Comptroller General: Richard Eckstrom, Republican - 5111
  State Superintendent of Education: Molly Mitchell Spearman, Republican - 4855
  Commissioner of Agriculture: Chris Nelums, United Citizens - 299; David Edmond, Green - 346; Hugh Weathers, Republican - 4880
  U.S, House of Representatives: Mary Geren, Democratic - 2163; Jeff Duncan, Republican - 4633; Dave Moore, American - 78
  State House of Representatives: District 39 Cal Forrest, Republican - 4710
  State House of Representatives: District 82 William Clyburn, Democratic - 717
  Auditor: Memmus H Forrest, Republican - 5212
  Treasurer Tiffany R Shaw, Republican - 5295
  County Council: Chair Derrick W Jones, Republican - 5185
  County Council: Frank Daniels District 1, Democratic - 1200
  County Council: Justin Anderson, District 3,   Republican - 1868
  Soil and Water District Commission: (Vote for 2) Carey Frick - 2446, James R Nichols - 3244,  (Non-partisan)
  School Board Saluda: Seat 6 Christy Nichols - 789  (Non-partisan)
  School Trustee District Lexington Vote for 3: William Berry, Frances Bouknight, Cheryl Burgess, William Cogdill, Gariane Gunter  (Non-partisan)
  Saluda Public Works Commissioner Write-ln - Tony Black.
  Saluda City Council:  District 1 William Yonce - 213 ,  (Non-partisan)
  Saluda City Council:  District 3 Miliken Matthews - 94,   (Non-partisan)

VETERANS DAY PROGRAM - South Carolina  American Legion District 17 Commander Rev Ed Miller and Saluda American Legion  Post 65 Commander Rev John Hood laid a wreath celebrating Veterans Day at the Saluda County War Memorial on the Court House Square, Sunday,  November 11.  The wreath laying was in conclusion of the Veterans Day Observance held at the Saluda Theater.  Commander Miller, a Southwest Asia and Vietnam Veteran was the guest speaker.  The Armistice   with Germany, WW I,  went into effect on the  11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.  Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 honoring military veterans . Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. It is distinct from Memorial Day.  Memorial Day honors those who died while in military service.

Election Results

SALUDA COUNTY CONTESTED
RACES RESULTS

(61.77 voter turnout)

  SALUDA MAYOR: Amelia Herlong -  391; Michelle R. Curry - 350
  SALUDA COUNTY SCHOOLS SCHOOL BOARD :Seat 2: Katherine Coleman - 287; Crystal Gibson - 167. Seat 4: Sunday Jacobs Minick - 203; James Moore - 290
  LEXINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT THREE: William Berry - 207; Frances Bouknight - 418; Cheryl Burgess - 263; William Cogdill - 188; Gariane Gunter - 293
  SALUDA COUNTY ONE CENT SALES TAX: Yes - 3546; No - 3134
  LEXINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENDUM: Yes - 196; No - 491

Kevin Yon, second from right, became the first Clemson alumnus to be named the overall winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year at the 2018 Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show in Moultrie, Georgia, on Oct. 16. Also pictured is his wife, Lydia, center, and sons Corbin, right, and Drake, second from left.

Ridge Spring’s  Kevin Yon
Named Southeast’s Top Farmer

Steven Bradley,
 Media Relations ,
Clemson University

  RIDGE SPRING — Kevin Yon has built his life around family and farming, and on Oct. 16, he celebrated landmark moments on both fronts.
  On the same day Yon’s first grandchild came home from the hospital to the family farm in Ridge Spring, he was named the overall winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award for 2018.
  “It was very special,” said Yon, a first-generation angus breeder. “And I got to be there for the birth prior to going to the banquet, so that was good, too.”
  But Yon’s accolade wasn’t just a milestone for his family, it was also one for Clemson University. He is the first Clemson alumnus to garner the event’s top prize and only the third South Carolinian to win the award in its 29-year history.
  And the Clemson connection isn’t just a footnote, the Yons are — quite literally — a Clemson family. All told, the family includes six graduates of Clemson’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences.
  Kevin and wife Lydia met while undergraduates at the Clemson University Block and Bridle Club, and Kevin eventually proposed at the Clemson bull-test station, at what later became the T. Ed Garrison Arena. All three of their children, Sally (’13), Drake (’14) and Corbin (’16), are also Clemson alumni, as is Drake’s wife, Nicole (’14).
  After being named the South Carolina winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award this summer, Kevin was named as the overall winner at the Willie B. Withers Luncheon held on the opening day of the Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show in Moultrie, Georgia. He was chosen as Farmer of the Year over nine other state winners who were finalists.
  But while his name is on the award, Yon said his family and employees deserve much of the credit. And Yon Family Farms, as its name indicates, is nothing if not a family business.
  All three Yon children grew up on the farm, and all three have returned to work on the farm as adults, along with two of their spouses, Nicole, and Sally’s husband, Reid Harrison.
  “They call it the Farmer of the Year, but for us it is the entire family and the entire farm and also extended family members who are longtime employees as well,” Kevin said. “It was nothing to do with Kevin Yon; it was about the whole Yon Family Farms team. Everybody has special talents and contributes in their own ways — just like a team.
  “So it was very gratifying for the team to be recognized, or the entire farm. And it’s humbling because getting to meet those other nine state winners, they were so passionate about what they do. Each one of them, to me, could’ve been a winner.”
  The Yons’ operation has grown into one that is listed among the country’s 25 largest purebred operations by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, but it started from scratch. Yon was 12 when his parents loaned him the money to buy his first steer and heifer. By high school, he’d purchased a small crossbred herd he kept in a leased pasture in Anderson County, close enough to care for when he left for Clemson to pursue a degree in animal science.
  These days, the Yons sell about 450 bulls and 200 females each year in two on-farm sales. They also sell cattle in private treaty sales, and their herd includes about 1,200 registered breeding-age females, 590 commercial breeding-age females and 90 steers and heifers that are fed out. The Yons retain ownership on calves not sold for breeding and feed most of them in a Kansas feedlot. They also feed out calves on their farm that are marketed through an Augusta, Georgia, processing facility.
  But it is also an operation that has grown well beyond just cattle. Forages are among the most extensive plantings on Yon’s farm, which has successfully grown alfalfa and corn and has become a new grower of soybeans, pecans and grain sorghum. The Yons also own a retail store in Ridge Spring where they sell pecans and beef from their farm, along with other South Carolina-grown products.
  The Southeastern Farmer of the Year award recognizes excellence in agricultural production and farm management, along with leadership in farm and community organizations. The award also honors family contributions in producing safe and abundant supplies of food, fiber and shelter products.
  “Something else that was really special about it is our Clemson University Extension agent, Travis Mitchell, was the nominator,” Kevin said, “and we credit his help and his predecessor Phil Perry’s Extension help for the success of our farm. We’ve worked hand in hand with those guys since the very beginning, and they’ve been so good to us and helped us in so many ways.
  “So credit for the award also goes to all of Clemson Extension, but especially our county agents, Phil Perry — who is retired — and Travis Mitchell, who was right there with us every step of the way preceding the award and even during the award.”
  John Miller, president and chief executive officer of Swisher International Inc., of Jacksonville, Florida, praised Yon for his farming accomplishments.
  “Kevin is an outstanding farmer who has become a role model for others who want to farm,” Miller said. “It is an honor for our company and our Swisher Sweets cigar brand to recognize Kevin for his farming accomplishments.”
  Ron Carroll, marketing vice president with Swisher, represented the company in presenting the cash award to Yon. Carroll visited Yon and his farm along with the farms of the other nine state winners during the judging tour.
  “Kevin is an inspiration,” Carroll said. “It is a great tribute to his success as a farmer and as a parent that each of his adult children have returned to work on the farm and have become major contributors to the farm’s success.”
  The new Farmer of the Year was selected for the honor by three judges who visited his farm and the farm of the other state winners during early August of this year.
  The judges this year included Charles Snipes, a retired Extension weed scientist from Greenville, Mississippi; beef cattle rancher Cary Lightsey of Lake Wales, Florida, who was the overall winner of the award in 2009; and John McKissick, longtime University of Georgia agricultural economist from Athens, Georgia.
  Snipes, who served as senior judge, called Yon “a remarkable agricultural professional with a family that is fully engaged in the operation.”
  “He and his family are a credit to agriculture,” said Snipes. “They are the epitome of what the Southeastern Farmer of the Year program represents.”
  “Kevin Yon has become an incredible example of success after years of hard work … His integrity and obligation to the profession of farming and ranching was most recognizable,” Snipes added. “It is evident that he contributes a great deal to his profession beyond his local operation.”
  As the Southeastern Farmer of the Year, Yon will receive a $15,000 cash award plus $2,500 as a state winner from Swisher International. He will also receive the use of a Massey Ferguson tractor for a year from Massey Ferguson North America, a $500 gift certificate from the Southern States cooperative, a Columbia jacket from Ivey’s Outdoor and Farm Supply, a smoker-grill from Hays LTI, and a Henry Golden Boy “American Farmer” Tribute Edition rifle from Reinke Irrigation.
  Massey Ferguson North America and its parent firm AGCO have been longtime sponsors of the award.
  “It is an honor for AGCO to sponsor the Farmer of the Year award,” said Ash Alt, field marketing manager with AGCO. “This award recognizes outstanding farmers. Their dedication to their farms, their families and their communities illustrates the importance of the American farmer. We are pleased to provide one year’s use of a Massey Ferguson tractor to Kevin Yon, and we look forward to working with Kevin and his family in selecting a model that fits their farming needs.”
  The other state winners this year include John DeLoach of Vincent, Alabama, Luke Alston of Mena, Arkansas, Lynetta Usher Griner of Chiefland, Florida, James Vaughn of Forsyth, Georgia, Darren Luttrell of Beaver Dam, Kentucky, Lonnie Fortner of Port Gibson, Mississippi, Howard Brown of Andrews, North Carolina, John Verell of Jackson, Tennessee, and Paul Rogers Jr., of Wakefield, Virginia.