Farm Bureau elects grassroots leaders

Kentucky's Gilbert, Haney re-elected to national posts

Special to Kentucky Agricultural News

Delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation's 91st annual meeting elected two state Farm Bureau presidents to the AFBF board of directors: Bob Hanson of Montana was elected to a full two-year term for the Western region, and Dean Norton of New York was elected to fill an unexpired term for one year in the Northeast region.

Fourteen other state Farm Bureau presidents were re-elected to represent their regions on the AFBF board of directors:

Midwest region – Steve Baccus, Kansas; Charles Kruse, Missouri; Philip Nelson, Illinois; and Scott VanderWal, South Dakota.

Northeast region – Ed Jestice Jr., Delaware, and Richard Nieuwenhuis, New Jersey.

Southern region – Mark Haney, Kentucky; John Hoblick, Florida; Jerry Newby, Alabama; Wayne Pryor, Virginia; Randy Veach, Arkansas; David Waide, Mississippi; and David Winkles, South Carolina.

Western region – Leland Hogan, Utah.

Terry Gilbert of Kentucky continues to serve as chair of the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee and on the AFBF board of directors. Committee members Isabella Chism of Indiana, Frances Prices of South Carolina, Beth Pool of New Jersey and Margene Harris of New Mexico were re-elected to the committee for two-year terms.

Will Gilmer, a young dairy producer from Alabama, was elected the new chairman of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, which also makes him a member of the AFBF board of directors during his one-year term.