Voting delegates at the 98th Annual Meeting of Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation re-elected Pulaski County farmer Mr. Mark Haney as president of Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) on the concluding day of the organization’s meeting. Also re-elected were Webster County’s Mr. Eddie Melton as First Vice-President and Hart County’s Mr. Fritz Giesecke as Second Vice-President. They comprise KFB’s Executive Committee along with Executive Vice President Mr. David S. Beck.

Mr. Haney has served on the Executive Committee for 18 years and has been a state director since 1993. For many years he chaired the State Resolutions Committee. He is a past president and current board member of the Kentucky Center for Agriculture & Rural Development, past president of the Kentucky Center for Cooperative Development and past chairman of the Kentucky Horticulture Council and a current board of directors member for Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company.

Mr. Haney has also served as former president of the Pulaski County Farm Bureau, and is a current member of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

He and his brother, Don, produce apples and peaches near Nancy, KY, where they also raise beef cattle. They sell fresh produce from their orchards – as well as cider, jellies, baked goods and other products – at a KFB Certified Roadside Market located on the farm. He and his wife, Marlene, have two sons and a daughter.

Mr. Melton, a former president of Webster County Farm Bureau, is chairman of KFB’s State Resolutions Committee and also chairs KFB’s Farm Bill Working Group. Mr. Melton additionally serves on the board of directors for Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company. He and his wife, Regina, have a daughter.

Mr. Giesecke serves as the chair of KFB’s Beef Cattle Advisory Committee. He also serves as KFB’s representative for the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. Mr. Giesecke has been an active member of the Hart County Farm Bureau for over 30 years where he has held a variety of leadership positions, including county president. He additionally served 25 years as county supervisor for the local soil conservation district. Mr. Giesecke and his wife, Lydia, have a daughter and a son, and farms in Horse Cave, KY.

Returning board members are: Randy Chrisman of Anderson County; Marshall Coyle of Bath County; Jay Coleman of Barren County; Patrick M. Henderson of Breckinridge County; Greg Drake of Butler County; David McGlone of Carter County; Shane Wiseman of Clark County; Kim McCoy of Cumberland County; Dr. Nancy Cox of Fayette County; Glenn Howell of Fulton County; Larry Clark of Green County; Brandon Davis of Green County; Larry Thomas of Hardin County; Roger Fannin of Harlan County; Alex Barnett of Harrison County; Terry Rowlett of Henry County; Cloyce Hinkle of Knox County; David L. Campbell of Lincoln County; Joe Paul Mattingly of Marion County; Kelly Thurman of McLean County; Vickie Bryant, Women’s Committee Chair, of Monroe County; Mary Kate Kordes of Muhlenberg County; David Chappell of Owen County; Terry Lawson of Rockcastle County; Scott Travis of Spencer County; Victor Rexroat of Russell County; and Carroll Amyx of Wolfe County.

New to the board this year are Sharon Furches of Calloway County; Don Miniard of Harlan County; and John Pedigo, Young Farmers Committee Chair from Allen County.

Kentucky Farm Bureau, with more than 478,000 member families statewide, is the state's largest general farm organization. Approximately 2,500 members attended KFB's 98th annual meeting in Louisville, November 29 – December 2, to recognize this year's individual and organizational achievements and adopt policy for 2018. To view all the updates released from this year's annual meeting, visit KYFBNewsroom.com.