A technician whose work kept local farms running has been selected for a national John Deere award honoring outstanding service and technical expertise. The honor was awarded to Steve Hamm, a longtime agricultural technician in the Richmond area who was selected as one of 13 technicians across the United States and Canada to receive the Honorary Technician of the Year recognition. The designation honors technicians who demonstrate exceptional technical skill, professionalism and a strong commitment to supporting customers and the agricultural community. The John Deere Technician awards recognize high-performing service and parts technicians who provide critical technical expertise across the agriculture, turf, construction and forestry industries. Recipients are evaluated on their tech- nical ability, professionalism and adherence to the company’s core values of integrity, quality, humanity, commitment and innovation. The award was announced posthumously and accepted by Hamm’s…