Former Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) President Mark Haney has been chosen as the recipient of American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) 2025 Founders Award, one of the national organization’s highest honors. He will be recognized on January 26 during the AFBF’s 106th Convention in San Antonio.

First presented in January 2017, AFBF’s Founders Award recognizes exemplary leadership, service, or contributions to Farm Bureau. Haney was nominated for this award by KFB and selected as the 2025 winner by a national Farm Bureau committee.

A native of Pulaski County, Haney served on the board of Kentucky Farm Bureau for more than three decades and is the longest-serving president of the organization, stepping down after 15 years as president in 2023. He is well-known for proactive engagement with legislators to ensure the voices of farmers were heard and addressed at the local, state and national level. This included the advancement of many policies and initiatives supporting agricultural growth and sustainability for farmers across the nation. 

Throughout his time at KFB, Haney played a key role in creating and implementing initiatives that enhanced agriculture in the Bluegrass state, including the Certified Farm Market Program to support local farmers, the Generation Bridge Program, which engages members between the ages of 36-50, and the Legacy Farm Program.

“It is very humbling for me to receive this award,” Haney said. “I know the quality of people that serve in Farm Bureau and the things that they have accomplished. For me to be mentioned in that elite group is such an honor.”

“Mark is an exceptional leader,” said KFB President Eddie Melton. “He has demonstrated unparalleled leadership and dedication to farmers in Kentucky and across America’s agricultural community.”

During his address to the AFBF Convention attendees after the presentation of the award, Haney offered some words of encouragement to his fellow members.

“My encouragement is to continue to move forward and continue to focus on the important things,” he said. “Scripture tells me that my Savior came to earth to serve, not to be served. My prayer for you is that you will take up that same mantle, and you will choose to serve going forward. And you will teach your children and your grandchildren and those that come after us that the most important things to us are our faith, our families, our livelihood, and our farms. From the bottom of my heart, I can't thank you enough for this honor.”