The Wisconsin Certified Crop Adviser Board members are pleased to announce Kevin Beckard with AgSource Laboratories as the 2022 Wisconsin Certified Crop Adviser of the Year. The Wisconsin CCA of the Year award recognizes a member who has shown dedicated and exceptional performance as an agronomist in Wisconsin.
Kevin Beckard of Oneida, WI has been a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) for 24 years in a career specializing in nutrient management planning. Annually, he writes over 70 plans for farmers across Wisconsin. Of those 22 are larger more complex permitted operations. After graduating from UW- Stevens Point he worked at Landmark Coop as a sales agronomist for 4 years. In 2001 he became a Nutrient Management Specialist for the Wisconsin DATCP, then worked 2 years at Roach Agricultural Engineering until being hired by AgSource in 2009 where he is still employed.
Beckard serves as a GPS-NMP Project Leader at AgSource Laboratories where he successfully combines sound agronomic recommendations with laboratory data with thoughtful management solutions. Throughout his career as a CCA, Beckard has served as a nutrient management expert in the state serving on state committees for 590 and NR243 re-writes. He is also a past WI-CCA board member.
In Beckard’s nomination application Lee Van Der Geest of Van Der Geest Dairy in Merrill, Wis. shared this in his recommendation letter “Kevin pays great attention to detail, getting tasks done correctly and efficiently and he always has a positive attitude regardless of the task. Over the years of working with several CCA’s I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award than Kevin.”
Timothy Boerner of AgSource said in his recommendation letter for Beckard, “His wealth of knowledge is greatly appreciated by all who are lucky enough to cross agronomic paths with him. To me he is the one who most exemplifies what being a CCA is. I’m confident that the farmers he works with have gotten the most accurate and best crop advising possible.”
Beckard has trained several new CCA’s within AgSource and helped fellow CCA’s who have reached out to him for help answering complex questions. He can pretty much recite the 590 and NR243 regulations and codes but when needed can guide farmers through the maze of regulations to mutual understanding. That is a special skill, it takes time, confidence, and trust with every farm. Kevin treats each farm like it was his own farm. He serves as the CCA to Door Kewaunee Demo Farms where they have added cover crops, taken steps to reduce tillage and used innovative manure application methods to help other farmers change practices while still being productive and profitable.
For these reasons, the WI-CCA board members are excited to name Kevin Beckard as the Wisconsin-CCA of the Year for 2022. The Wisconsin Certified Crop Adviser board would like to congratulate Kevin on his award and thank him for his extraordinary contributions to CCA’s, farmers in the state and those who have had the chance to work with him. Kevin’s name is now added to the list of WI CCA of the Year Winners. Kevin will accept the award at the Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic, in Madison, WI in front of his fellow CCA’s at the CCA/WAPAC breakfast January 12, 2023 7:00 am.
Wisconsin CCA of the Year Recipients
- 2008- Rachel (Mueller) Friday
- 2009- Don Schmidt
- 2010- Carl Nachreiner
- 2011- Wayne Wells
- 2012- Cyndi Health
- 2013- Joe Brown
- 2014- Jeff Polenske
- 2015- Mark Weihing
- 2016- Chuck Bolte
- 2018-Jeff Laufenberg
- 2019- Todd Prill
- 2020-Bill Page
- 2021- no nomination
- 2022- Kevin Beckard
International Awards
2006- International CCA of Year- Edmund Ruff
2015- International CCA of Year – Jeff Polenske
2019- CCA Conservationist of Year- Nick Guilette
Don’t see your favorite CCA listed? Fill out a nomination form in 2023 for your influential Wisconsin CCA.
The Wisconsin CCA program is committed to refining knowledge and skill of those making important agronomic decisions in the field. CCAs work with producers to help make economically and environmentally, ethical decisions. This advising is the result of the hours spent gaining knowledge and perspective through requirements to become a certified crop adviser. CCAs play a vital role working with producers to ensure sustainability and long-term success for agriculturalists. For more information, visit https://www.certifiedcropadviser.org/