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Mary Boughton
Farm Bureau honors Calhoun County member for service, dedication
In recognition of her commitment to educating local young people about modern agriculture, Marshall-area farmer Mary Boughton has been named Michigan Farm Bureau's (MFB) Volunteer of the Month for January 2010. A retired elementary school librarian with education still running through her veins, Boughton regularly takes everyday farm life into area classrooms, helping children gain a better understanding of where their food really comes from.
Working within Farm Bureau's Promotion and Education program, Boughton employs Agriculture-in-the-Classroom lesson plans to reach both students and teachers alike. Focusing primarily on younger elementary-age children, the lessons teach students basic information about different kinds of crops and livestock animals. After presenting the lessons, Boughton takes extra time to encourage their teachers to pick up where she left off and continue ag education for the benefit of a generation of young people with very little direct contact to food and fiber production.
Boughton also spearheads educational efforts during National Agriculture Week (March 14-20 this year), including a farm-themed poster contest for area third-graders. She encourages whole classrooms to develop illustrations cooperatively, with the winning class earning a pizza party.
For adult audiences, Boughton promotes agriculture with informational displays at the county fair, Michigan Small Farms Conference and similar events.
"It is wonderfully received by the general public -- and proudly by our membership," wrote Boughton's nominator for Volunteer of the Month honors. "Mary has a passion to educate others about agriculture."
That passion has led her to expand her outreach role and apply her talents to other Farm Bureau program areas, including the Farmers CARE initiative, communications, membership recruitment drives and the organization's Young Farmer leadership development efforts.
Alongside her husband Melvin, Boughton helps raise beef cattle and farm more than 200 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa in Fredonia Township. The couple has three grown children: Andrea, Anthony and Monica.
