Mocksville farmer Madison Angell received the Lifetime Service Award from the N.C. Small Grain Growers Association.

Angell was on the original steering committee that formed the association. The thought of the group was to form an organization that would encourage better management practices, improved varieties, and research increasing yields.

In 1985 a group of farmers, Ron Jarrett, and NC State met at the Research Station in Salisbury to develop a thought process for forming the organization. During the meeting, there were suggestions that funds would need to be raised for expenses in forming the association.

There were commitments for pledging $1,250 for seed money to make their plans a reality. After much research and information gathering there was a meeting held at the NC State Faculty Club, Raleigh, on July 24, 1986 with 31 people in attendance to form the association.

Angell said he supported the formation of the association to promote a neighborhood type of relationship in bringing together farmers, businessmen and extension agents to deal with common issues to move the group forward. He was elected chair of the interim board of directors along with Phil McLain, Statesville, presently advisor to the board.

Angell just didn’t help form the organization, he went on to work for the state and national level to fulfill the its goals. In 1987 he worked with ASCS in Washington on new guidelines for growing wheat, during the 1988 drought he went to Washington to lobby Congress for Drought Relief, and was active leading commodity groups to help NCDA raise money at the legislature for a new agronomic lab to better serve the needs of farmers in North Carolina.

As Angell got more involved on the national level he was elected national president in 1992. In fact, he is probably the only person to serve eight years as a national officer. He testified before Congress on NAFTA and met with President George W. Bush on farm issues that helped farmers to stay in business.

Farming for 56 years from 4,000 acres down to 300 acres in the later years, his crops consisted of corn, soybeans, and wheat.

Angell also served his country in the Air Force as a pilot flying more than 5,006 hours including a tour in Vietnam; returning home he was in the Air National Guard.

Angell and wife Elsie had a successful farming operation in Davie County and for a while in Columbus County. They have two daughters. Recently he announced his retirement from his life-long profession in farming, he is going out with a prize-winning year as he placed second in the state in the National Foundation Wheat Yield Contest and sixth in the NC Small Grain Growers Association Wheat Yield contest with a yield of 92.353 bushels per acre.