GRAND RAPIDS — Cass County’s Sarah Peterson is the 2010 winner of Michigan Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Young Agricultural Leader Award.

Peterson, 28, of Niles, was selected by guest judges from a field of four award finalists and honored Dec. 1 at MFB’s 91st annual meeting in Grand Rapids.

The Outstanding Young Agricultural Leader Award recognizes a successful young farmer, between the ages of 18 and 35, for outstanding leadership roles in Farm Bureau, agriculture and his or her local community.

Contestants are judged on their ability to actively serve in leadership roles while managing a successful farm operation.

As state winner, Peterson received a Caribbean trip for two to Aruba, sponsored by Great Lakes Hybrids; $500 from GreenStone Farm Credit Services; a prize from the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee; and a trip to the American Farm Bureau Federation 92nd Convention and Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 9-12, 2011. All finalists received a prize package sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Grainger.

Between raising two young children, Peterson helps her husband Alan and his family on the M.K. Peterson Farm, which includes 1,050 acres of corn and soybeans and 320 head of Angus Simmental cross cattle.

Peterson is continually learning new jobs; currently, she’s responsible for the recordkeeping, helps feed and process cattle and plows fields for planting.

She devotes much of her spare time to Cass County Farm Bureau.

She sits on the board of directors; is chairperson of the Promotion and Education Committee; and is a member of the Young Farmer Committee and Farmers CARE Action Team.

Peterson is credited with developing and executing a local Farmers CARE public relations campaign, which launched at the 2009 Cass County Fair and consists of brochures, banners, displays and other items that feature photos and messages from local farmers and agribusinesses on how they care about animals, safe food, the environment and their community.

Peterson, who grew up in the Upper Peninsula and met her husband at Michigan State — her father-in-law, Gail, is president of the fair association — is also proud of her work with the Menominee County 4-H Challenge Club when, at just 17, she helped raise money to outfit all the county’s state police cars with life-saving defibrillators.

Peterson graduated from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and specialization in agribusiness management.

MFB is the state’s largest general farm organization, representing more than 48,000 farm families.

The MFB annual meeting kicked off on Nov. 30 and continues through today at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and DeVos Place.