Washington County Farmer Jeff Aiken Elected VP of Nation’s Largest State Farm Bureau

During their 91st annual convention held at Franklin’s Cool Springs Marriott, the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation’s delegates, representing agriculture and farmers across the state, not only debated policy proposals and passed resolutions to work on passage of legislation in 2013 at the state and federal levels, they also elected a new vice president of the nation’s largest state Farm Bureau organization.

Washington county beef, dairy and tobacco farmer Jeff Aiken was elected today by the voting delegate body to serve as the organization’s vice president that represents more than 657,000 family members in Tennessee. Aiken has served as a director-at-large on the state board of directors since 1998 when he was elected to that office by the Farm Bureau’s county leadership statewide. He has headed up numerous committees at the state level, as well as being his county’s president for many years. He has held the office of state YF&R chairman and was the 1992 Tennessee Young Farmer of the Year.

The new Tennessee Farm Bureau vice president is a native of Washington County. He and his wife Carol farm near Tedford in upper East Tennessee where he produces corn, 100 acres of tobacco and over 300 head of beef cattle.

Elected to replace Aiken as director-at-large during the organization’s business session was David Richesin of Loudon County. Richesin and his wife Becky farm more than 800 acres of row crops near Philadelphia, Tenn. He has an ag business degree from the University of Tennessee and is also a former winner of the YF&R Young Farmer of the Year award in 1999. Both he and his wife have served on numerous Farm Bureau committees at all levels and have three sons also involved in the family farming operation.

Others re-elected to the board of directors by the voting delegates were: Charles Hancock from Bumpus Mills, Mrs. Catherine Via from Alamo, Malcolm Burchfiel from Newbern, Eric Mayberry from Hurricane Mills, James Haskew from South Pittsburg, Dan Hancock from Smithville, David Mitchell from Blaine and Mrs. Jane May, State Women’s chairman from Newbern.

Also during the annual meeting, Jimmy McAllister of Greene County was selected as the new state Young Farmer and Rancher chairman.

 

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For additonal information contact: Pettus L. Read, Director of Communications TFBF