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Hurst looks back, Graves calls him an ag icon
Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst has given his final address to the members of the organization he is retiring from this weekend.
At the virtual Missouri Farm Bureau 2020 Annual Meeting today (Saturday) Hurst looked back on what he calls an eventful decade during which he has been president. Among many other things, he said, “We celebrated 100 years as an organization, the first Farm Bureau in the nation to do so. And our celebration has served as a model for other Farm Bureaus. We passed freedom to farm, forever enshrining the importance of agriculture in our state’s constitution. We helped kill WOTUS.”
Missouri Congressman Sam Graves addressed Hurst, telling members he is an icon for Missouri agriculture, “It means a lot to everybody in this state when you take on these fights and take on these battles. And you stay committed to it and you’re able to methodically work through these things and have a lot of wins for Farm Bureau.” Graves says he read into the congressional record recently thanks for all the work Hurst has done.
Also addressing members at the opening of today’s virtual meeting were Governor Mike Parson, Senator Roy Blunt, Senator Josh Hawley, Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, Attorney General Eric Schmidt, and, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.
On Sunday, members will vote virtually for a new Missouri Farm Bureau president. Candidates are Garrett Hawkins, former MOFB National Legislative Program Director and currentDeputy Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture; Todd Hayes, Missouri Farm Bureau Vice President; and, Richard Fordyce, former Missouri Agriculture Director and current USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator.
