[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 146 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING SHELLY HARTMANN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL HUIZENGA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2024

  Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the service of 
Ms. Shelly Hartmann for her term as Chair of the U.S. Highbush 
Blueberry Council (USHBC), which concludes at the end of this year.
  It is because of leaders like Shelly Hartmann that Michigan remains 
the best place in the country to grow. Shelly has dedicated her career 
to advocating for her fellow growers through numerous roles. Her 
impressive resume includes time serving as a member of the USHBC board 
for over ten years, as the governor-appointed treasurer of the Michigan 
Blueberry Commission, as a board member of the Michigan Agricultural 
Environmental Assurance Program Advisory Council, and as a member of 
the planning committee for the annual National Blueberry Festival in 
South Haven.
  A pillar of our Southwest Michigan community, Shelly Hartmann 
currently co-owns True Blue Farms in Grand Junction with her husband 
Dennis. Overcoming adversity and beginning their operation in the early 
1990s, True Blue Farms has become one of the largest growers in North 
America.
  In 2021, Shelly was named the USHBC's first female chairperson. This 
impressive milestone illustrates Shelly's passion for her fellow 
growers. Throughout her tenure as chair, she has been a tireless 
advocate and has continuously enhanced the standing of American 
blueberry farmers across the world.
  Mr. Speaker, as her tenure as chairperson concludes, I ask that you 
join me and the people of Michigan's 4th Congressional District in 
thanking Ms. Shelly Hartmann for her decades-long dedication to 
blueberry growers throughout the United States.

                          ____________________