Two farming families will be named Chester County Farmers of the Year on March 25 when AgConnect, the Chester County Economic Development Council’s agriculture partnership, celebrates National Agriculture Day.

The 2013 honorees are Tom and Barbara Schaer of Meadowset Farm and Apiary in Landenberg, and Peter Flynn of Pete’s Produce Farm in Westtown.

The gala evening is set for Franklin Commons in Phoenixville and will feature cocktails, local cheeses, specialty appetizers created by students in Delaware County Community College’s Culinary Arts program, and a prime rib or vegetarian dinner.

Keynote speaker for the evening will be Russell Redding, dean of agriculture and environmental science at DVCC and former state agriculture secretary. Redding, chairman of the AgConnect board, plans to make projections about the future of agriculture in the region.

Contributions from donors and a silent auction of locally grown products will benefit AgConnect’s workforce training and youth career showcase initiatives which will be highlighted during dinner.

Tom and Barbara Schaer’s 30-acre Meadowset Farm is a 250-year-old Landenberg farm. The Schaers are both large animal veterinarians. They run a grass-based licensed sheep dairy with East Friesland and Lacaune milksheep, following old-world cheese making practices. Their 25 colonies of honeybees produce honey, pollen, propolis and beeswax.

Pete Flynn grows 170 acres of vegetables on land at Westtown School and sells his sought-after produce from a farm stand on the north side of Street Road and Route 926. A member of the board of the Chester County Food Bank, Flynn last year donated 20,000 pounds of food to the food bank from four acres he sets aside to help those less fortunate.

AgConnect is a vibrant network of farmers, business owners, and service providers connecting farmers to business resources, training and financing. The regional private-public partnership connects those in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

Reservations to the dinner may be made on the AgConnect web site here.

For sponsorship opportunities or other information, contact Jodi Gauker, jgauker@cceconomicdevelopment.com or 610-321-8226.