Dustin Warren, a lifelong farmer and a volunteer firefighter, could hardly find the words to show his appreciation after receiving the 2023 Humanitarian Award at the 43rd Annual Farm City Breakfast. He was honored for his dedication to helping anyone in need.
“Thank y’all from the bottom of my heart. This really does mean a lot,” Warren said as he accepted the plaque. “It was instilled in me that as a community, when somebody needs something we come together. This represents more than just me. It represents everyone that stands up and helps.”
Warren, who graduated from Owensboro Catholic High School in 2002, has worked on a farm his entire life in some capacity. He now works at Warren Bros. Farms alongside his brothers, who took their dad’s knowledge of the farm “and ran with it.” They do a lot on their farm, from row crop to raise hemp to custom combining and planting.
Warren has also been a firefighter for nearly 20 years at the St. Joseph Volunteer Fire Department, where he’s an assistant chief and EMT.
The award was presented by St. Joseph Fire Department Chief Greg Schadler, who also runs a family farm and received the Humanitarian Award in 2020.
Schadler said Warren embodies all the traits of a humanitarian.
“He’s not Superman, but he does work hard at helping people. His phone rings all hours of the day and night from people in need of help. He gets up and he goes. At the fire department, he gets up and gets called to help before we even get the call out a lot of times. If neighbors need help — whether it’s at church, in the fields or schools— he gets up and goes.”
After the breakfast was over, Warren still had to compose himself as he expressed how much the award meant. He was humble, though, saying he’s but a small part of how the ag community rallies in support of each other.
“It means a lot to me. I’m just one person that helps bring people together. It’s a team effort and I’m just one piece of the puzzle of helping the community out when someone is in need,” Warren said. “When the phone rings and I get a call, then I start getting on the hotline to let everybody else know. We get everybody else involved, and then it’s all hands on deck from there. It’s what we do here in Daviess County. When somebody needs help, we all come running.”
