PHOTO: TEXAS FARM BUREAU Texas Farm Bureau President Kenneth Dierschke presents a plaque to Lampasas Dispatch Record Editor and Publisher Jim Lowe, third from left, during the Farm Bureau's recent leadership conference. Also pictured are Lampasas County Farm Bureau officials Barney Groves, left; Christine Groves; and Patsy and Henry Stoneham. Gene Hall, right background, director of public relations for Texas Farm Bureau, introduces another of the journalism award winners to the conferees. Lampasas Dispatch Record Editor and Publisher Jim Lowe recently received one of two 2010 Excellence in Journalism Awards given by Texas Farm Bureau.

The award, presented in San Marcos at the annual Texas Farm Bureau Leadership Conference, was for small-market newspapers.

Pat Kopecki, staff writer at the Wilson County News, also received an Excellence in Journalism Award.

In addition, Elmer Kelton -- acclaimed Texas author and longtime ag writer at the San Angelo Standard-Times and Livestock Weekly -- received the Excellence in Agricultural Journalism Award posthumously. Kara Kelton, his great-niece and a Texas Farm Bureau staff member, accepted the award.

Texas Farm Bureau gives the awards annually to three Texas journalists for their work in telling the story of agriculture and of farm and ranch families.