Slaton man a finalist for farming award, needs votes online

Dale Kitchens of Slaton was recently recognized for his farming enterprise as a finalist for Operation of the Year 2023. The prestigious title will provide the winner of the contest with a new Manitou telehandler free for one year and is sponsored by Parallel Ag (formerly Livingston Machinery Company and Ag Solutions Group) andsupported by Manitou Group. Voting to determine a winner runs July 1 through July 10.

“My mission is to help finance the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's what drives me.Wasn't for that, I'd retire from farming, but I have no desire of quitting. As long as I'm healthy, I'mgoing to keep going. That's my mission,” said Kitchens during his video profile conducted in early May. Having already undergone a nomination phase and a committee-selection process to identify the top three finalists for two divisions (Midwest and Southern Plains), each candidate was given the opportunity to be interviewed on their farm to showcase their operation.Video interviews will be available during the online contest that will be conducted from July 1through July 10. Information regarding the finalists in both divisions, instructions on how to vote,and all full-length interviews can be found at www.parallelag.com.Kitchens, a Slaton native, must depend on his social media and overall online presence to earn daily votes to accumulate before the contest closes on Monday, July 10 at midnight. The finalists with the most votes at the end of the contest will be awarded with agricultural telescopic forklift, provided by Parallel Ag and Manitou Group. Two machines will be gifted in 2023, one to a finalist in the Midwest region and one in the Southern Plains region.

Farmers and ag leaders, such as Kitchens, are the reason behind Parallel Ag’s development of the program, that is now in its third consecutive year. Headquartered in Chickasha, OK with 12locations across six states, the equipment dealership launched the Operation of the Year Awards to honor individuals, families and small ag businesses across the South and Midwestern UnitedStates for their exceptional involvement in agriculture. General nominations for the Operation of the Year program were open to the public in early Spring, accepting self-nominations and recommendations of others. Nominees could be a producer (a farmer/rancher working their own property) or a custom operator (someone whodoes custom work for others such as harvesting crops with their own machinery). Those entered were assessed on four qualifying categories to become one of three finalists in each of the two divisions: innovation, productivity, legacy, and community service.After successfully making it through numerous qualifying rounds, Kitchens continues to be a strong candidate for the esteemed award of Operation of the Year 2023. However, he will need support of community members and online followers to ensure final recognition of his hard-earned agricultural efforts and to win the Manitou telehandler.