PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — At the 110th Pennsylvania Farm Show, the sacrifice and service of military veterans and active-duty service members were honored alongside the recognition of a 30-year veteran from Huntingdon County.
During Military Appreciation Day at the Farm Show, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Maj. Gen. John Pippy, adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, presented the Pennsylvania Veteran Ag Entrepreneurship Award to a Warriors Mark farmer.
George Lake, the owner of Thistle Creek Farms in Huntingdon County, is also a 30-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He was presented the award for his leadership, innovation and entrepreneurial success in agriculture.
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Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding addresses veterans, military families, and Farm Show attendees during Military Appreciation Day at the 110th Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg
George Lake, owner of Thistle Creek Farms in Warriors Mark, Huntingdon County, and vice chair of the Pennsylvania Veterans Farming Network, receives the Pennsylvania Veteran Ag Entrepreneurship Award
George Lake, owner of Thistle Creek Farms in Warriors Mark, Huntingdon County
George Lake
George Lake
George Lake
George Lake
George Lake
Lake has worked to transform his family’s farm into a nationally recognized regenerative, pasture-based livestock operation.
“Lake exemplifies the award’s mission by combining military leadership, agricultural innovation, and long-term business sustainability to strengthen Pennsylvania agriculture,” The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said in a release.
“I think small farms are the backbone of American agriculture, and I’m willing to give in any way that I can to help small farmers succeed,” Lake said. “Helping other farms be profitable has become a bit of a passion for me. I’m especially drawn to veterans who want to enter a farming career. I’m aware of how much they were willing to give for our country.”
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The PA Veteran Ag Entrepreneurship Award honors a veteran-owned agriculture business that demonstrates the following qualities:
Service within the veteran and local communities
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