Chamber inducts Ginder, Schafer into agriculture corridor of fame
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A fourth-generation family farmer from Morgan County and a Scott County man who has worked the fields for almost 50 years are being honored for their service to both agriculture and the community.
Gary Ginder of rural Jacksonville and Bob Schafer of Winchester were inducted Thursday into the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce Agri-Industry Hall of Fame during the chamber’s 44th annual agri-industry banquet.
Both men are familiar faces in the agricultural community. Ginder has been a member of Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau for 46 years, including serving six years on its board of directors, and has been on the board of directors of the cooperative now known as Prairieland FS for 28 years. Schafer has been president of the Scott County Fair Association for 33 years and a member for 50. During his nearly five decades as a Scott County 4-H leader, he has been named to the Illinois 4-H Hall of Fame and received the Scott County 4-H Alumni Award and Friend of 4-H honors
Ginder is continuing a tradition of farming that began in 1865, when his great-great-grandfather bought 40 acres of land near Arenzville after serving in the Civil War. The farm has grown but remains a family endeavor — Ginder’s two sons, Greg and David, help raise corn and soybeans.
He previously has received the Jaycees’ Young Farmer of the Year award and he, his father and brother have been honored as Rotary’s Conservation Farm Family of the Year.
Ginder is active with the Morgan County Fair and he has been the fair’s 4-H auction superintendent for 18 years. He served on the fair board of directors for six years and has played a role in ground and building improvements at the fairgrounds. He also is a member of Franklin American Legion, Elks Club and a 70-year member of Centenary United Methodist Church.
Schafer has been growing corn and soybeans and raising beef, sheep, goats and swine for about 48 years. He has been a state plumbing inspector for more than 30 years.
He has been active in the Scott County Extension Building Association and University of Illinois Extension. Schafer is a Scott County commissioner and president of the Scott County Community Unit 1 school board. He also has been president of the Illinois Department of Public Health Examining Board and a member of the Western Illinois Economic Development Authority, Pike-Scott Farm Bureau and Manchester Baptist Church.
The Agri-Industry Hall of Fame was established in 1995 to honor those who have served the agricultural industry through personal and professional efforts, according to the chamber.
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