LAMAR, COLORADO (April 1, 2021) – Zane Tempel of Lamar, Colo. was recently recognized for his hay baling and harvesting business as a finalist for Custom Operator of the Year 2021. The prestigious title is sponsored by Livingston Machinery Company and supported by Manitou Group, that together will provide the winner of the contest with a new Manitou telehandler for free for one year.
“Some advice I’d give to the next generation farmer is don’t give up, find something you’re passionate about, and go for it. You can’t farm in fear, so don’t ever give up,” said Tempel, during his video profile conducted on March 18th. Having already undergone a nomination phase and a committee-selection process to identify the top three finalists, each candidate was given the opportunity to be interviewed on their farm to showcase their operation.
With video interviews now online for public review of each finalist, voting and information regarding the exclusively online contest can be found at www.staging.parallelag.com. Finalists, such as Tempel must depend on his social media and overall online presence to earn daily votes to accumulate before
the contest closes on ________. The finalists with the most votes at the end of the contest will be awarded with agricultural telescopic forklift, provided by Livingston Machinery and Manitou Group.
Farmers and ag leaders, such as Tempel, are the reason behind Livingston Machinery’s development of the awards. Headquartered in Chickasha, Okla., the equipment dealership launched the Producer of the Year and Custom Operator of the Year program to honor individuals, families and small ag businesses across the South-Central U.S. for their exceptional involvement in agriculture.
Whether the nominee applied as a producer (a farmer/rancher working their own property) or a custom operator (someone who does custom work for others such as harvesting crops with their own machinery) each nominee was assessed on four qualifying categories to become one of three finalists in each of the two divisions: innovation, productivity, legacy, and community service.
After successfully making it through numerous qualifying rounds, Tempel continues to be a strong candidate for the esteemed award of Custom Operator of the Year 2021. However, he will need support of community members and online followers to ensure final recognition of his hard-earned agricultural efforts. Click HERE to vote today!