After more than 50 years in Maryland, Ricky and Mary Davis left their feedlot, grown children and farm and headed for Iowa. And with them, they brought a strong passion for farming and helping others, neighbors said last week.

The Davises were recognized last week as recipients of the Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award, which highlights farmers who go above and beyond in caring for the land, their livestock and their neighbors.

"It’s stunning to tell you the truth," Ricky, a Wayne County Farm Bureau member, said. "There’s other people around that probably deserve this more than I do....