2026 Young Agriculture Employee award finalists announced

Four finalists have been announced across Michigan Farm Bureau's 2026 Young Farmer awards program, celebrating outstanding young leaders in the state's prodigious farm sector.

The Young Agriculture Employee Award recognizes farm employees and ag professionals for their contributions to the success and long-term profitability of their workplace. Nominees are also judged on their leadership involvement in Farm Bureau, agriculture and the local community.

Each finalist is awarded $400 in cash and MFB apparel sponsored by Farm Bureau Health Services. The 2026 state winner will receive a $1,000 AgroLiquid gift certificate, an equipment lease, and an all-expense paid trip to the 2027 AFBF FUSION Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Here are this year's finalists in the Employee category:

Katie Adam - Huron County

As an advisor with Star of the West, Huron County's Katie Adam supports growers producing grain and beans for both domestic and international markets. Her work helps support sustainability, bridging the gap between producers and end users, and creating new revenue streams while encouraging stewardship.

Alongside her husband, children and his family, Katie manages operations at Adam Farms LLC, a sixth-generation row crop and livestock operation raising sugar beets, dry beans, wheat, corn and soybeans. The livestock side includes a swine-finishing facility.

"My on-farm experience helps me to understand agricultural production through the entire supply chain," she said.

Adam looks forward to continued growth as an industry leader, developing and scaling programs that create value for farmers, and ensuring they're compensated for their sustainability efforts.

Continued Farm Bureau involvement is important to Adam, as she has her sights set on someday serving at the state level.

"It represents the power of agriculture coming together as one unified voice," she said. "In an industry that is constantly evolving and often misunderstood, Farm Bureau provides a platform for us to advocate collectively for priorities that support farmers' livelihoods and rural communities.

"The value in that unity is bringing together individuals from all sectors to be strong, positive voices for our industry," Adam said. "It creates opportunities for leadership, education and connection while ensuring agriculture is thoughtfully and effectively represented."

Matthew Bernia - Muskegon

Matthew Bernia coordinates MSU's Institute of Agricultural Technology at Muskegon Community College, developing curricula, advising students and providing community outreach. His work involves designing systems that add transparency to advising and academic planning to minimize confusion, keep students on track and improve retention.

Bernia looks forward to maturing as a leader in agriculture, education and his community by deepening his Farm Bureau involvement, forging bonds between collegiate and Young Farmer groups, and joining his county Farm Bureau leadership team.

Professionally he hopes to contribute toward expanding professional development opportunities and creating meaningful connections between agriculture, students and the broader community.

"Farm Bureau gave me a place where agriculture felt like a community, not just an industry," he said. "Through Farm Bureau I've found mentors, built lasting relationships and grown alongside people who genuinely care about the future of agriculture and the next generation entering it.

"What I value most is the opportunity to give back. Farm Bureau allows me to connect students with real people, farms and opportunities - while staying grounded in service, advocacy and education. It's motivating and helps strengthen agriculture by investing in the people who make up its community."

He's originally from the Akron area, where Bernia Family Farms raises corn, wheat, dry beans and sugar beets on 5,000 acres.

Matt Graham - Livingston

Sales, agronomy and precision ag all fall under Matt Graham's responsibilities at his day job at a sizeable operation that includes some 8,400 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat, three elevators and a full-service ag-retail business.

"I'm proud of getting our aerial application business off the ground," he said, "and increasing profitability with variable-rate application."

The home operation is a small family farm Graham works alongside his parents, wife and their young son. It's also where his most heartfelt ambitions lay - "being the best father and husband I can be" - while improving both farms and staying active in Farm Bureau.

"Membership is what you make of it," he said. "If you're willing to get out and get involved, it's truly priceless. A strong county Farm Bureau helps cultivate a community."

The programs we're able to put on throughout the year help to promote agriculture, inform people about agriculture and even feed people in need.

Leaning into the organization, he's found, not only helps achieve programmatic goals, but also helps him as an individual.

"You meet new people, make connections, make a positive difference in your community and build leadership skills," he said. "You can help shape policies and amplify your voice."

Andrew Littlefield - St. Joseph

A seven-year veteran at Rich Baker Farms near Sturgis, Andrew Littlefield keeps busy raising commercial, seed and foundation corn as well as soybeans, wheat and hay. The operation also includes 50 head of brood cows and some 2,500 finishing hogs.

Most of Baker Farms' seed corn detasseling program rests on Littlefield's shoulders, testing every day his ability to track equipment, personnel and crop maturity as they all shift on a day-by-day basis.

"The responsibility and problem-solving skills I use on a daily basis determine where our machinery need to be and how each day's priorities rank," he said.

In the future he hopes to continue growing the small family farm he runs alongside his wife, father, siblings and grandfather.

"I'm also interested in pursuing a partnership with my current employer," he noted, adding that the good people at Rich Baker Farms over the years have "become like a family to me."

"My Farm Bureau membership is also extremely important," Littlefield said. "I truly value the opportunity to meet with both new and experienced farmers. Farm Bureau provides me with the opportunity to network and learn about my industry."