2025 Ag Hall of Fame Inductees honored January 16

January 21, 2025

The 2025 inductees to the Mid-Columbia Agriculture Hall of Fame were honored at a dinner and installation gala at the Pasco Red Lion on Thursday, January 16, 2025, presented by the Pasco Chamber of Commerce and the Port of Pasco.

This is the 24th year Hall of Fame honors have been awarded to Mid-Columbia farmers, families and agribusiness leaders in Franklin County and neighboring Mid-Columbia counties. The new inductees are being recognized for their outstanding contributions to agriculture and agribusiness in four categories. These are the categories and the inductees for 2025:

The Mid-Columbia Ag Hall of Fame Pioneer Award honors individuals who have had a significant influence on the development of agriculture and unselfishly served their communities. This year, we honor Fred Olberding

Fred has always been ambitious – as a child he spent hours farming the dirt with his mother’s spoons for his pretend crops to raise his own cattle to pay for college at WSU. After working for Wilbr-Ellis, he and his brother Allen went into farming business together.

Fred never balked at a challenge. He would weld pig panels for the fair while welding at the farm. He is an analytical and motivated businessman figuring out how to solve whatever problem comes his way all while caring for his family and taking time to help the community.

The Agriculture Advisor Award is given to an individual who has had a significant impact in ag-advancement and educational programs and similar organizations influencing the industry through leadership, guidance and community involvement. This year the honor goes to Denise Senor.

Denise began teaching later in her professional career, beginning in 1994. She taught agriculture for Kamiakin and Riverview Highschool retiring in 2022. She has since filled in a substitute teacher in those fields.

Denise is a tireless advocate for agriculture education. Her dedication to agriculture as a science convinced the administration at Kamiakin that agriculture courses are indeed lab sciences, and that students learn best through the application of science principles to hands on activities found in the agriculture program.

The Rising Star Award acknowledges a young individual in the agriculture industry who demonstrates a commitment to community involvement with a dedication to enhance agriculture. This year the honor goes to James Alford.

James hard work and talent has propelled him to success in a relatively short amount of time. In 2007 he established JCAg, and since that time has expanded his business interests in an additional 7 companies.  Yet, he is engaged in community service. For the last 10 years he has been the President of the Franklin County Farm Bureau as well as dedicating time to his family, church, Franklin County Volunteer Stewardship Committee and Farm Fair, an annual event each spring exposing thousands of school aged kids to the agriculture industry.

The Stewardship Award is presented to someone who has served the community and displayed leadership in agriculture over a long period. Bill Middleton will receive the honor for 2025.

At an early age and the eldest of 6 siblings, Bill embraced the hard work and responsibility that comes with farming, traits that have defined his Life and career. Bill established his farm in 1974 off Pasco-Kahlotus Highway. He served on the Franklin County Weed Board for over 20 years and held roles on the Franklin County Farm Bureau Board and the Washington Asparagus Commission Board, where he served as chairman.

In recent years, Bill empowered his sons in Launching Middleton's Fall Festival, which has become one of the Tri-Cities' most cherished family events. The festival, a celebration of family, farming, and community, stands as a testament to Bill's vision and enduring Legacy. Now the family hosts 4 additional community festivals: Tulip Fest, Asparagus Festival, Strawberry Festival, and Sunflower Festival.

The Visionary Award is a special honor that is conferred through a consensus of the Ag Hall of Fame Committee members. This year, Dr. Alan Schreiber will be bestowed with this honor.

Alan Schreiber is a fifth-generation farmer who grew up in Revere, MO, a small town in the northeast corner of Missouri. One of Alan's favorite jokes is that he grew up on a diversified mid-western farm, as they had both corn AND soybeans. Little did he know that he would go on to run three state agriculture commissions and grow over 300 types of crops.

He regularly donates to food banks, as well as giving food to those who can't always afford to pay at farmers markets. He also values his farm workers, the core of whom have been with him since he started. In Alan's spare time, with his dedication to local farmers, he has been working with the community and opened the Tri-Cities Food Co-op in Richland so that growers can actually sell their produce locally.

Alan is a dynamic person and is passionate about Washington agriculture. From asparagus in the Columbia Basin to oysters in Willapa Bay, Alan always has his fingers in the soil of Washington's agriculture, supporting WA growers in every way that he can.

For more information on the Ag Hall of Fame and how to nominate someone, call the Pasco Chamber at (509) 547-9755 or visit the chamber online at www.pascochamber.org.