Chilton County well represented at 103rd annual Alabama Farmers Federation meeting
Published 12:33 pm Thursday, December 12, 2024
1 of 3
Chilton County’s Ryan Cox, right, was elected to serve District 6 of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s State Young Farmers Committee, pictured with Federation Young Farmers Division Director Hunter McBrayer. (ALABAMA FARMERS FEDERATION | CONTRIBUTED)
Chilton County’s Ryan Cox, right, was elected to serve District 6 of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s State Young Farmers Committee during the Federation’s 103rd annual meeting in Montgomery Dec. 8-9.
District 6 includes Autauga, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery and Russell counties. He replaces Elmore County’s Jonathan Edgar, who served the committee 4 years.
The Young Farmers program encourages leadership training, creates awareness of problems facing today’s farmers and promotes better understanding of agribusiness.
He is pictured with Federation Young Farmers Division Director Hunter McBrayer.
###
Jason Powell, second from left, of Chilton County was elected to the State Greenhouse, Nursery & Sod (GNS) Committee at the annual meeting. (ALABAMA FARMERS FEDERATION | CONTRIBUTED)
Elections were held during the Federation’s 103rd annual meeting in Montgomery.
State commodity committee members help direct policy for the state’s largest farm organization, allocate research dollars and coordinate educational sessions for fellow farmers.
From left are Federation GNS Division Director Blake Thaxton, Brown, Powell, Pack and Bryd.
Jimmy Parnell, Chilton County native, was unanimously elected to his seventh term as Alabama Farmers Federation President during the annual meeting in Montgomery on Dec. 8-9. (ALABAMA FARMERS FEDERATION | CONTRIBUTED)
By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor
The Alabama Farmers Federation held its 103rd annual meeting in Montgomery on Dec. 8-9, and farming-leaders in Chilton County were elected to committees during the meeting’s business.
Delegates gathered in Montgomery and part of the business on their agenda was to fill holes on committees left by retiring members. Chilton County’s Ryan Cox was elected to serve District 6 of the Alabama Farmers Federation’s State Young Farmers Committee by his peers. The Young Farmers Program “encourages leadership training, creates awareness or problems facing today’s farmers and promotes better understanding of agribusiness,” according to a press release from the Federation.
Cox will serve District 6 that includes Autauga, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery and Russell Counties. He will be stepping in for Elmore County’s Jonathan Edgar who served as the District 6 representative for four years.
Also, at the annual meeting, the Federation elected new members to its state commodity committees. These committee members help direct policy for the state’s largest farm organizations, allocate research dollars and coordinate educational sessions for fellow farmers. These farmers will also help direct the organization’s policy work. Chilton County’s Jason Powell was one of the newly elected members to the State Greenhouse, Nursery & Sod (GNS) Committee. He is joined on the committee by newcomers Chris Brown of Baldwin County, Shane Pack of Marshall County and Lance Byrd of Shelby County. Powell and the others are replacing retiring members on the committee Hank Richardson of Cherokee County and Bill Cook of Montgomery County.
“It’s important for our industry to have good representation,” said Pack in a press release. “When you’re out in the field all day working, sometimes it may feel like the ones making the laws have no idea what you’re going through. It’s great to be a part of an organization with leadership and staff that hear our concerns and take them to state and federal decision-makers.”
Members of state commodity committees are also tasked to help plan educational programming for producers. They guide research, promotion and education efforts for the Federation’s 17 committees — bee and honey, beef, catfish, cotton, dairy, equine, forestry, greenhouse, nursery and sod, hay and forage, fruits and vegetables, peanuts, pork, poultry, sheep and goat, soybean, wheat and feed grain and wildlife.
Lastly, Chilton County native Jimmy Parnell was elected unanimously to his seventh term as President of the Alabama Farmers Federation. Also the President and CEO of ALFA Insurance, Parnell will lead the board of directors during the next term.
“It seems like two or three weeks ago we started down this journey,” Parnell said in a press release. “We have accomplished so much. We’ve built a tremendous team. I love getting up to go to work. It’s really not work when you love what you do. The federation is as strong today as, I think, we’ve ever been. I’m just excited about our future.”
