Arkansas Farm Bureau hired Jessica Richard as director of Commodity Activities and Economics in the organization’s Commodity and Regulatory Affairs Department.

Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation’s Organization and Member Programs department announced promotions for three members of its staff. The moves come after Justin Reynolds was named director of the department earlier this month.

John Bailey has been promoted to Director of the Commodity and Regulatory Affairs Department at the Arkansas Farm Bureau, replacing Travis Justice. In his new role, Bailey will be responsible for development, implementation and administration of department priorities and helping manage the department‘s efforts related to the organization’s commodity divisions, regulatory affairs activities, market information delivery, commodity checkoff program administration, and economic analysis impacting Arkansas agriculture.

Justin Reynolds has been promoted to Director of Organization and Member Programs at Arkansas Farm Bureau. In his new role, Reynolds will assist with supervision and direction for the organization’s district directors, who work with the county Farm Bureaus to implement legislative, leadership and agricultural outreach programming. He will also coordinate work with the Women’s Leadership Committee, the Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, and the eight Collegiate Farm Bureau chapters in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame has announced that six individuals will be inducted during 2021 due to their leadership and service to the state’s largest business sector.

Arkansas Farm Bureau recognized Casey Rogers of Greene County Tech High School in Paragould as its 2020 Outstanding Ag Instructor of the Year. Caroline Lester of Westside High School in Jonesboro earned the 2020 Outstanding New Ag Instructor of the Year, and County Line High School in Branch grabbed the top spot as the Outstanding Ag Program of the Year.

Caleb Plyler, ArFB board member and cow-calf producer from Spring Hill (Hempstead County), has been appointed by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to a three-year term on the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board, usually referred to as the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.

Chris and Denise Sweat of McCaskill (Hempstead County) are the 2020 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year. The honor was announced today during a virtual event honoring the county and district Farm Families of the Year.

Kallem Hill of Oppelo was announced Wednesday as winner of the 2020 Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award from the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. The award announcement came during the organization’s 86th annual state convention held remotely from the Hot Springs Convention Center.

Rich Hillman of Carlisle was reelected as Arkansas Farm Bureau’s president and Mike Freeze was reelected vice president Dec. 3 at Farm Bureau’s 86th Annual Convention, held virtually and through a live meeting of the board at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Delegates also elected eight other board members during the session and set the organization’s policy priorities for 2021.