Dan Wright of Waldron was re-elected Friday, Dec. 6, president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, and Mike Freeze of Little Rock will remain vice president of the agricultural advocacy organization. Both were elected at the Farm Bureau state convention at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

Voting delegates elected Mark Williams of Lavaca to the state board and re-elected seven board members, all to two-year terms. They are Magen Allen, Bismarck; Terry Dabbs, Stuttgart; Brad Doyle, Weiner; Jason Henson, Mount Judea; Caleb Plyler, Hope; and Dana Stewart, Judsonia.

“I am deeply honored by the trust our members have placed in me to guide our organization into the next chapter of advocacy, education and awareness for the state’s agriculture industry and rural communities,” Wright said . “It is more important than ever that our leaders and neighbors recognize the dedication of farmers and ranchers who work tirelessly to feed families across America and the world. »

Wright, 64, was chosen for his second term as president. He served 11 years on the organization’s board of directors, including four years as secretary-treasurer. Wright is a poultry breeder and hay producer.

Freeze, 72, is beginning his sixth term as vice president. He operates the Keo Fish Farm, the largest hybrid striped bass hatchery in the world. He is a former chairman of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

“I am deeply grateful to our members for their continued trust and confidence in me,” Freeze said. “I am excited to work with our president and state board members as we tackle the important and difficult work ahead of the Farm Bureau.”

Board action then resulted in the election of Terry Dabbs of Stuttgart as Secretary/Treasurer, his second term in that position. A row crop farmer, Dabbs has served on the ArFB board of directors since 2004. He grows rice, soybeans, wheat, oats and corn.

Voting delegates also addressed a series of state and federal policy issues, including increasing funding for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and maintaining agricultural sales tax exemptions with a additional identification structure. The group also voted in favor of economic initiatives for rural counties, funding for conservation districts, private property rights and farm rights. Delegates also approved policy supporting immediate economic relief for farmers and ranchers, as well as rapid passage of a new federal farm bill that adequately addresses the current needs of the agricultural sector.

Formed in 1935, Arkansas Farm Bureau represents more than 180,000 member families in the state.

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