Young farmers honored with Farm Bureau awards

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Farm Bureau announced the winners of the 2025 Young Farmers & Ag Professionals awards.

Cody and Samantha Otten of Tippecanoe County, Megan Espinda of Henry County, and Brock and Laura Kiesler of Floyd and Washington counties are the winners of the Rising Star, the Excellence in Agriculture and the Achievement awards.

Meet The Winners

Cody and Samantha Otten

Tippecanoe County

Award: Rising Star, honoring outstanding members who are active in Farm Bureau, display personal and professional growth by participating in those activities and are passionate about agriculture.

Prize: $2,000 cash and an all-expenses-paid trip to Portland, Oregon, for the 2026 Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference

Samantha Otten: “We do not come from a family background involved in Farm Bureau, but after getting married in 2020, we actively sought ways to engage more deeply with the agricultural community. Two organizations that have been especially meaningful to us are the Tippecanoe County Fair and Tippecanoe County Farm Bureau. What began with attending local meetings has since grown into participation in statewide conferences, social events and training opportunities.”

Megan Espinda

Henry County

Award: Excellence in Agriculture, which honors Farm Bureau members who do not derive the majority of their income from a farming operation, but who actively contribute and grow their involvement in Farm Bureau, the agriculture industry and other community organizations.

Prize: $8,000 cash courtesy of Farm Credit Mid-America, $3,000 cash courtesy of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, and an all-expense-paid trip to Anaheim, California, to compete at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in January.

Megan Espinda: “My involvement really grew out of the relationships I had with the people in Henry County. Although I wasn’t a farmer myself, I grew up alongside many of the board members, and I truly consider them family. When I moved back to Indiana, joining Farm Bureau felt like a natural step. I’m blessed to be part of a group that so selflessly serves the community and that welcomed me so genuinely. Being involved has not only allowed me to give back, but also to grow as a leader surrounded by people who share the same heart for agriculture and community.”

Brock and Laura Kiesler

Floyd and Washington Counties

Award: Achievement, which recognizes and rewards young farmers who derive the majority of their income from a farming operation and are judged on their leadership involvement and farm management techniques.

Prize: $6,000 cash courtesy of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, $5,000 cash courtesy of INFB, and an all-expense-paid trip to compete at the AFBF Convention. The Kieslers will also be awarded the David L. Leising Memorial Award.

Laura Kiesler: “Our experience in Farm Bureau has provided us with lifelong friends with whom we go on trips, who come and help us in the straw field, as well as several people across the state who we stay in contact with on a regular basis. It is definitely an honor to win this award. I feel that we make a great team, and we are excited for the opportunity to compete at AFBF in California. We are proud and thankful for the recognition of our hard work with INFB.”