COVENTRY – Workers and supporters of the agricultural industry gathered at the Silo Restaurant for dinner Tuesday night as the Chenango County Farm Bureau held its 56th annual meeting.

Members of the Farm Bureau had much to celebrate this year. In October, the organization was selected as a winner in the American Farm Bureau Federation County Activities of Excellence Program for its work in the ‘Hay for Texas’ initiative. Hay for Texas, which has steadily gained support by local farmers despite their own crop loss during September’s flooding, shipped hay from area farms to Texas, where severe drought has destroyed crops and livestock and crippled much of the farming industry there. Volunteers and organizers were given special recognition last night for their endeavors in transporting the hay from New York to Texas.

Volunteers, including Hay for Texas program founder Herm Sherwood-Sitts and T.Q.L. Transportation, were acclaimed for their efforts in bringing the idea to reality.