BRAD HAIRE
Farm Press Editorial Staff brad.haire@farmprogress.com
HE WAS THE reserved-looking man sitting on the front row at the meeting or standing in the field chatting with the farmer, his left hand dancing the pen steadily across the notepad, recording the facts, the quotes and observations he used to account decades of agriculture.
You might not have recognized him in person, but you'd likely know his name. John Leidner was easy to talk to, easy to smile (liked to help others smile, too) and easy to work with. He was a listener. Not a man to dominate a conversation, but he had a wry sense of humor. Savvy. He liked people and getting to know them. He was a friend, a devoted family man, active church member, a sturdy colleague and one of the region's top agricultural journalists.
He passed away June 18 after a short illness. He
was 67.
"Up until this past June, there has been one
constant presence at the Sunbelt Ag Expo, and
that was John Leidner," said Chip Blalock, executive
director of the Sunbelt Ag Expo.
Leidner wrote in all 41 Sunbelt Expo programs through to 2018. In 2007, he was the editor of "The Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition, A Thirty-Year Perspective," using his unique historical viewpoint of the Expo and region's agricultural history.
"John was well respected throughout the farming community and had a way of describing the latest in ag technology in a way that made it understandable. John was a trusted source of information farmers relied on to make management decisions," Blalock said.
Over the last decade, Leidner annually clocked thousands of miles of driving to visit and write profiles of each of the state winners of Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Award.
"John was opposed to flying, so he would travel by his trusty Chevy pickup truck to all 10 states to do personal interviews and write the stories," Blalock said. "John always painted a very clear picture with his writing to not only describe the farmer's operation but to make you feel like you were on the tour with him. These stories are released in July ahead of the judging tour and gave the judges great perspective on what they would see on their visits."
Leidner was Progressive Farmer's southeast editor for 30 years, covering like no one else the region's diverse agricultural landscape. Along with his work with the Expo, life after Progressive Farmer included writing for other farming publications, such as Southeastern Peanut Farmer and Southeast Farm Press.
"He was very dedicated to covering ag news and
sharing it with farmers. I think he especially liked
attending field days and visiting with researchers
about their ongoing peanut research or visiting with
farmers. His articles definitely helped to keep the
farmer updated on research and how to apply new
practices on their farm," said Joy Crosby, editor of
Southeastern Peanut Farmer.
"I was fortunate to be able to travel with him across the Southeast and learn from him as I watched him interview farmers. He was a great travel buddy and always up for the next adventure and my article ideas. He will definitely be missed in the ag community, peanut industry and especially by me," Crosby said.
Leidner was born in McAllen, Texas, where he grew up on a family farm, working manual labor and learning how to fix things and solve problems. He attended Mission High and later graduated Texas A&M University. In 1974, he married Mary Brown in College Station. They lived for decades in Tifton, Ga., where she worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the agency's first female
The quiet man who chronicled Southern Agriculture JOHN LEIDNER
JOHN LEIDNER
TRANSPLANTER CO.
Model JP-1
1-Row Hand Seeder
Singulates a wide variety
of seed sizes
Multi-Row & Toolbar
VisitusinAg Building#2
Mechanical Transplanter Co., LLC
1150 Central Avenue Holland, MI 49423
website: www.mechanicaltransplanter.com
e-mail: mtc@mechanicaltransplanter.com