Hero Awards
2025 HERO AWARDS
Hero Awards Presented November 20, 2025
Agroforestry Scholarships, announced by Greg Bird, presented
by Richard Kobe, congratulated by George Bird
- Parker A. Hopkins, Department of Forestry, Michigan
State University, in honor of Parker’s spatial and human
dimension agroforestry scholarship.
- Steven Jarvis, Department of Forestry, Michigan State
University, in honor of Steven’s passion for our planet
through his scholarship initiatives in the domain of
Agroforestry.
Environmentally-Sound Agriculture Hero Awards
- Bruno Basso, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor
Michigan State University, in honor of Bruno’s truly
outstanding leadership in development of
environmentally-sound agricultural technologies.
Announced by Greg Bird, presented by Vennie Gore and
congratulated by George Bird.
- Graham’s Organics, Pat, Jim, and Matt of Rosebush,
Michigan, in honor of the families’ value-added
procedures, resulting in exceptional premium animal feed
produced their sustainably grown agronomic crops.
Announced by Greg Bird and presented by 2023 Hero
Brad Morgan and congratulated by George Bird.
- Brian & Anne Bates, Bear Creek Organic Farm Petoskey,
Michigan in honor of Brian and Anne’s truly passionate
enterprise that fosters environmental stewardship through
production of year-round vegetables, a unique farm
membership program, an on-farm market, and a food truck
Announced by Greg Bird and presented by 2023 Hero
Joe Scrimger and congratulated by George Bird.
Check back to see who they were after Nov 19
Foundation History
Professor Bird’s colleagues, students and family organized the Foundation in 2022, in honor of his research, teaching contributions to the domains of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Sustainable Agriculture and Sustainable-Equitable Development. These transdisciplinary contributions were made possible because of Professor Bird’s training in nematology, plant pathology, entomology, and horticulture.