American Agri-Women

December 20, 2011, Alma, Kansas - American Agri-Women presents the Veritas Award annually to a person who has given public witness to “the pursuit of truth” in accordance with the principles enunciated in the AAW Statement of Philosophy, The Call to Power.

Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh is one of those rare individuals who have made a positive impact on the lives of students, the agriculture industry and the United States Congress. He is well known in political circles as an expert on agricultural policy, actively advising Congressional members and agriculture commodity and organization leaders. Flinchbaugh served as Chairman of the Commission on 21st Century Production Agriculture authorized in the 1996 Farm Bill and has long proclaimed the desire of agricultural producers to attain value from the marketplace for their production.

Dr. Flinchbaugh, professor of agriculture economics at Kansas State University has had a long and distinguished career in academia, and is the author of 100 plus publications including an agricultural policy textbook. He has lectured and given speeches throughout the nation on public policy topics and political economy.

Along with one of his former Kansas State agriculture economic students, Dr. Mark Edelman, Iowa State University, Flinchbaugh wrote regular columns for the FARM JOURNAL magazine from 1998 to 2001, entitled “Eye to Eye”. Pertinent agricultural issues were discussed and addressed in these twenty-two published columns.

Flinchbaugh is a member of Rotary International, serves on the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Board of Trade, the Farm Foundation, and the Kansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership, Inc. (KARL), and as chairman of the Commission on 21st Century Production Agriculture. He has served as host and leader for the People to People exchange program, visiting countries in Europe, the former Soviet Union, the South Pacific, the Peoples’ Republic of China and Africa, advising them on agriculture economic policy.

Flinchbaugh has received the prestigious Hildreth Award for career achievement in public policy education, the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award from the American Agricultural Editors Association, and the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award from both the Kansas and American Farm Bureau Federation.

Throughout his long career, Dr. Flinchbaugh has exemplified the “Pursuit of Truth” ideal. It is with pleasure that the Kansas Agri-Women nominate this outstanding individual for the American Agri-Women Veritas Award.

Since 1974, AAW members have worked together to educate consumers; advocate for agriculture; and provide networking and professional development opportunities. Go to the AAW web site for more information and to join, www.americanagriwomen.org. Find AAW on social media at: Facebook.com/AgriWomen/ and Twitter.com/Women4Ag/ (@Women4Ag.)

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Contact: Abby Amick, Vice President of Communications, communications@americanagriwomen.org, 620-271-2953