After thirty-eight years at Indiana Farm Bureau, and a lifetime in Indiana agriculture, Mark Sigler is retiring at the end of the month. He was one of two honored Thursday by Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith with the Agrivision Award, now in its 19th year.
Sigler’s career started like so many others, growing up on a family farm.
“And I still live in the same house I grew up on and still have the farm with my brothers and sister,” he told HAT. “As far as being active in agriculture, right from the beginning I went to Purdue Ag and went into extension right out of that, in Elkhart and Rush counties. I worked for Farm Credit for a short time and then ended up at Farm Bureau for 38 years.”
Sigler is the chief operating officer, secretary and treasurer at Indiana Farm Bureau. His time in agriculture has brought many opportunities and countless cherished relationships. He says that stems from saying yes.
“You never have a career path that you know what it’s going to look like,” he explained. “I mean very few people would have that and so along the way you’re building relationships, you’re meeting people, you’re doing a few jobs here and there. And as you build those relationships and people are going to be involved that you’re going to be involved with are going to have things for you to do. And they’re going to ask and they’re going to bring up things that maybe at the time you don’t think you either have time for or are all that important. But saying yes to those leads to new opportunities, more relationships, and more people in your life, and that is so important.”
Sigler and his wife, DeeDee, live in Frankton and have two children and six grandchildren.
The Agrivision award is considered the state’s highest agricultural honor and is presented to those making significant contributions to the agriculture industry and their communities.
Also honored was Keith Lambright, owner of Shipshewana Auction and Cedar Creek Meats. The award was accepted by his son Brian.
Read more about both recipients in the official ISDA news release here.
(Pictured are grandson Austin Sigler, DeeDee and Mark Sigler, and Lt. Gov Micah Beckwith)
