Alabama Farmers Federation elects officers, directors
Published 6:35 pm Friday, December 6, 2013
Special to the Signal
Jake Harper of Wilcox County, Steve Dunn of Conecuh County, and Dean Wysner of Randolph County were re-elected as officers of the Alabama Farmers Federation Friday at the organization’s 92nd annual meeting.
Federation President Jimmy Parnell of Chilton County, who was elected last year, presided over the voting process in which almost 500 delegates chose new officers and board members. Officers serve two-year terms.
Harper, a cattle and timber farmer, is vice president of the Southwest Area, which includes Lowndes and Butler counties along with those of Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Escambia, Hale, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Sumter, Washington and Wilcox.
Dunn, a row crop and cattle farmer, was re-elected secretary-treasurer, a statewide position.
Wysner, a cattle and hay producer, is vice president of the Central Area, which includes Autauga, Bibb, Calhoun, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Fayette, Greene, Jefferson, Lamar, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tuscaloosa and Walker counties.
Elections for four district directors also were held. Directors serve three-year terms.
Paul Looney, a cotton and grain farmer from Limestone County, was elected to represent District 2, which covers Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties. He succeeds Ted Grantland of Morgan County.
Joe Roberts of Fayette County, a poultry farmer, was elected to represent District 5, which includes Bibb, Fayette, Jefferson, Lamar and Tuscaloosa counties. He succeeds John Walker III of Tuscaloosa County.
Dan Robertson of Perry County was elected District 8 director. He is a catfish and cattle farmer representing Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Pickens and Sumter counties. He succeeds Dickie Odom of Greene County.
Sammy Gibbs, a row crop farmer from Escambia County, was elected District 11 director. He represents Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe, Mobile and Washington counties and succeeds David Bitto of Baldwin County.
Elected to one-year, ex-officio terms on the Federation State Board were Women’s Leadership Committee Chairman Sharon Byrd of Dale County and State Young Farmers Chairman Allie Corcoran of Barbour County.
The Alabama Farmers Federation, with 365,000 members, is Alabama’s largest farm organization and a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation.