Matthew Bormann was caught off guard when he got a phone call this fall, congratulating him for being selected as a finalist for Iowa Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer Achievement Award.

"I felt like I was Miss America, when the contestants hear their name and they are like, ‘Oh my gosh!’" said Bormann, who is finishing up his term as Kossuth County Farm Bureau president in November. "I’m humbled and I’m honored. It’s a neat deal, ...