Farm Credit Mid-America Announces Election Results

Five farmers were elected by customers of Farm Credit Mid-America as the newest members of the Board of Directors. Farm Credit’s Board is comprised of 16 elected directors and two independent directors who meet monthly to set policy and provide overall direction for the agricultural lending cooperative which spans four states and serves almost 100,000 customers-members. “As a cooperative, Farm Credit offers customers the opportunity to vote for the individuals that will drive the decisions of the association, the members of the Board,” said Kevin Cox, chair of Farm Credit’s Board of Directors. “The results of the 2012 election are in and we are excited to welcome back three directors and introduce two new members.”

On the same ballot, customers elected 20 members to serve on the Nominating Committee who will meet next June to slate candidates for the 2013 elections.

The newly elected and re-elected Board members are

• INDIANA Four Year Position – Kevin Cox (Incumbent) of Brazil – Kevin is a grain production, cattle and hay farmer and is President and Owner of TST Farms INC. and TST Trucking LLC. He also owns a land holding business, TST LLC. Kevin is serving as Parke County REMC Director. He retired from Parke County Farm Bureau after 26 years of membership, 16 of which he was President. Kevin served on the Parke County Extension Board, the Clay Community Schools Ag Advisory Committee and the Indiana Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee. Kevin is the board incumbent and has served in that capacity since 2008. He serves as the board’s Vice-President.

• KENTUCKY Four Year Position – John Kuegel Jr. of Owensboro – John is a dairy and grain farmer. He received a degree in animal science from the University of Kentucky. He is a member of Kentucky Farm Bureau Young Farmers Committee (past state chair), the Daviess County Farm Bureau (director and immediate past president), the Kentucky Farm Bureau (District 2 chair), the Daviess County Extension Board and the Kentucky Holstein Cattle Club (past president). He is a former state president of the Kentucky FFA. John is a former member of the Owensboro Farm Credit Advisory Committee.

• OHIO Four Year Position – Bill Patterson (Incumbent) of Chesterland – Bill owns and operates Patterson Farms, PFF, Inc. and Orchard Hills Inc. He received a degree in Agriculture Economics from the Ohio State University. Bill is a Trustee for the Ohio Farm Bureau and member of Ohio Produce Growers Marketing Association.  He is the board incumbent and has served in the capacity since 2004.

• TENNESSEE Four Year Position – Donald Blankenship (Incumbent) of  Murfreesboro – Donald’s farm operation consists of cow-calf pairs, grain, vegetables and custom farming. He received a degree in Agribusiness from Middle Tennessee State University. He has past board experience serving in other organizations including Farm Bureau (local director), Tennessee Young Farmer and Rancher (Vice-President and Treasurer) and Mid-State Producers (Secretary and Treasurer).  Donald is the board incumbent and has served in that capacity since 2008.

• TENNESSEE Two Year Position – Hugh Adams of Dresden – Hugh is a grain production farmer. He holds a degree in agriculture and business from Mississippi State University. He recently retired from the Tennessee Farm Bureau, where he served 35 years as a Field Service Director. Hugh was involved in the Weakley County Farm Bureau as a director and has been a member of the Tennessee Soybean Association and Tennessee Corn Growers Association for more than 25 years.  He serves as a director for the West Tennessee River Basin Authority and is a former member of the Dresden Farm Credit Advisory Committee.