Nearly 300 family, friends and local dignitaries met to honor four of the most influential members of the agricultural community at the Wharton County Youth Fair’s 46th annual Ag Banquet.
The event opened with members of the Wharton County Commissioner’s Court and County Judge Philip Spenrath donating $50,000 to the WCYF as both a thank you for the fair’s generosity as far as allowing county services to use the property during natural disasters and for other county needs, Spenrath said.
Four awards are given to producers at the WCYF Ag Banquet.
Row-Crop Farmer, Cattleman and Rice Farmer of the Year are nominated by their peers in the community. The Ag Man of the Year is chosen by the fair board.
“At its essence, family is about unconditional love and there is no doubt of his steadfast love for his family. The life that Billy and Sis built provides love, support and a framework of values to all,” Wharton Agrilife Extension Agent Corrie Bowen said. “Through his lifelong experiences, beliefs and values, (Schwertner) has been able to pass on to his family the very things that shaped his mind and heart.”
Schwertner was born in 1945 in Schwertner just north of Austin, the oldest son of Herman and Laurine Schwertner. He started his career in agriculture by working for his parents’ cattle company, Capitol Land and Livestock.
He graduated high school in the 1960s before being accepted to Sam Houston State University and earning a bachelor’s in education before returning to the agriculture industry soon after.
Schwertner met his wife, Mary “Sis” Schwertner, while working for Floyd Moore at a feedlot in Huntsville and they had two children, Teresa and Sharon.
He was offered a chance to purchase Wharton Livestock Auction in 1980, a location he still owns and operates as well as Edna Livestock, and partners with his son-in-law in owning MidTex Livestock in Anderson.
Schwertner opened his barns and allowed locals to shelter their animals inside during several hurricanes and floods, keeping the animals safe as the waters rose.
Rice Farmer of the Year 2023 – Timothy Gertson
“(Gertson) was outgoing, fearless, smart and hard-working in addition to being restless, rambunctious and argumentative (as a child). His dad used to comfort his mom by saying that all those seemingly undesirable traits that made him a challenge to raise at times would someday make him a very capable leader,” Bowen said. “His dad’s words could not have been truer, because that hard-headed toddler became a responsible, selfless leader giving of his time and talents in many ways to many organizations.”
He was born in September of 1984 to Ronald and Patsy Gertson of East Bernard. Gertson became a fifth generation rice producer along with his cousin, Daniel, on the Lissie prairie and named their partnership “G5” for Generation 5.
He graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in agricultural engineering. Gertson started working at an ethanol production plant in Hereford before marrying his wife, Lindy Hall, and they started their lives together in Canyon. The couple now have three children; Jacob, Nathan and Michael.
Gertson left the company after a year and returned to Wharton County to join his cousin Daniel at farming rice in East Bernard. He has also experimented in both crawfish and organic corn production.
He was awarded the Texas Farm Bureau’s Farmer and Rancher of the Year in 2015.
Gertson has served several years as president of the Wharton County Farm Bureau and as organizer of Ag in the Classroom. He serves on several committees for Texas Rice Producers Legislative Group and for USA Rice.
Row Crop Farmer of the Year 2023 – Kenneth Hlavinka
“Our Row Crop Farmer of the Year dedicates his springs to planting, his summers to fertilization and irrigation, falls to harvest, and the most dreaded of all, his winters to an office,” Bowen said.
Hlavinka is the youngest of six and grew up in East Bernard to Joe and Patricia, ultimately graduating from East Bernard High School.
Later attending Texas A&M, studying ag economics as well as becoming a second generation member of the Corps of Cadets. It was at College Station he met his future wife, Bonnie Helm, who he married a few years later. They would go on to have four children; Travis, Kyle, Shane and Jillian.
After graduation, he returned home and partnered with his brother Terry to operate a cattle company. He also helped create Hlavinka Commodities Company and has served as a guest professor at Texas A&M and donated a cotton picker to the school in 2022.
Cattlemen of the Year 2023 – Michael Popp
“If you were a child and were lucky enough to grow up on a farm, you found out really quick that there was no shortage of work. This year’s Cattleman of the Year was no exception. When a calf needed to be bottle-fed to survive, mom gave the job to her little boy,” Bowen said.
After many a year on the farm raising cattle, Popp graduated from El Campo High School in 1998 as valedictorian.
Popp graduated from Texas A&M University with a master’s in finance and married his wife, Melissa after she graduated from A&M as well. They went on to have two kids, Hayden and Addison.
He has served on the board of United Ag Coop of El Campo, been president of Wharton County Farm Bureau and still serves on that board, and is an alternate on Cotton Incorporated’s board.
