Duvall
Today, during the annual American Farm Bureau Convention in Orlando, Florida, delegates elected Georgia farmer Zippy Duvall to lead the organization as President.
Duvall, who has been serving as Georgia’s Farm Bureau state president, will take over the top post from Bob Stallman, who has retired after 16 years. Duvall will serve a two-year term with the organization.
Duvall beat out Don Vilwolk of Indiana in the final run-off vote. Previous votes eliminated candidates Kevin Rogers of Arizona and Barr Bushue of Oregon.
VanderWal
Delegates also elected Scott VanderWal from South Dakota as vice president. He successfully defeated Tom Buchanan, Oklahoma, and Dean Norton, New York. VanderWal will serve a two-year term.
Delegates elected seven state Farm Bureau presidents to the AFBF board of directors: Carl Bednarski, Michigan; Rich Felts, Kansas (Midwest Region), Harry Ott, South Carolina; Jeff Aiken, Tennessee; Gerald Long, Georgia (Southern Region), Rick Ebert, Pennsylvania (Northeast Region) and Bryce Wrigley, Alaska (Western Region).
Eleven other state Farm Bureau presidents were re-elected to represent their regions on the AFBF board of directors: Jim Holte, Wisconsin; Blake Hurst, Missouri; Steve Nelson, Nebraska (Midwest Region), Mark Haney, Kentucky; John Hoblick, Florida; Mike McCormick, Mississippi; Jimmy Parnell, Alabama; Wayne Pryor, Virginia; Randy Veach, Arkansas (Southern Region), Ryck Suydam, New Jersey (Northeast Region) and Hank Combs, Nevada (Western Region).
Denise “Denny” Hymel of Louisiana, Joan Myers of Pennsylvania, Lillian Ostendorf of Montana and Deb Walsh of Indiana were re-elected to two-year terms on the Women’s Leadership Committee.
Cole Coxbill, a cattle rancher and crop grower from Wyoming, was elected the new chair of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, which also makes him a member of the AFBF board of directors during his one-year term.
The voting concluded the 2016 American Farm Bureau annual convention in Orlando, Florida.
Farm Bureau members will gather for the 98th AFBF Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show, Jan. 6-10, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona.