Bane, Faber receive ag honor

PONTIAC – Two tireless advocates for agriculture have been named the Bill Edwards Agri-business Persons of the Year by the Pontiac Area Chamber of Commerce.

Pontiac Township High School ag instructors and FFA advisors Parker Bane and Jesse Faber will be honored March 7 during the annual chamber banquet in Pontiac. Both were instrumental in reviving the ag program at PTHS.

“It begins and ends with community support,” said Bane, who has been at the school since 2003. “Before I was here, there were members of the community that wanted to see the (agriculture) program happen so they circulated a petition and put the pieces in place to set this up.”

Bane said he is still surprised at the honor and admits it is “incredibly humbling” for this to occur.

In his 12th year at Pontiac, Faber has built a life there with his wife and children. He has enjoyed working with the local agriculture community and students at PTHS. He also has the privilege of working with a good friend like Bane every day.

“We both kind of share the same dreams about working with young people and helping to promote the agriculture community,” Faber explained.

According to Bane, the two have different skill sets that serve the students well and he feels those skill sets complement each other nicely.

The upcoming Pontiac Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet at the Pontiac Elks Lodge will also recognize this year’s Business Person of the Year, Joan Bullard, who owns and operates Joan Bullard Realty.