The 100th annual meeting of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation symbolized not only a milestone for the organization, but also a turn of leadership at the helm of the nation’s largest state Farm Bureau. During the annual business session, grassroots delegates from across the state unanimously elected Humphreys County farmer Eric Mayberry as the ninth president of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.

As the third-generation on his family’s farm, Mayberry, 56, and his wife, Lynn, along with their three children, farm more than 1,000 acres of corn and soybeans as well as raise a herd of 200 beef cattle near Hurricane Mills. Their involvement in Tennessee Farm Bureau has been extensive. They first became involved through the Young Farmers and Ranchers program. Mayberry then began serving on the Humphreys County Farm Bureau Board of Directors in 1988 where he served as vice president and president. He was first elected to the Tennessee Farm Bureau Board of Directors representing District II in 2005 and then was elected vice president in 2015 where he has provided leadership for the past six years.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be chosen as the president of such a long-storied organization as the Tennessee Farm Bureau,” said Mayberry. “We’re at a pivotal point in our organization’s history – celebrating 100 years and looking back at where we’ve been, but also looking ahead to how we serve as the voice of agriculture for the next 100 years. I’m eager to get to work alongside so many others to ensure that voice remains strong.”

As president of Tennessee Farm Bureau, Mayberry will serve and represent the more than 680,000 family members of the organization. He also will work with county, district, state and national leadership, partners in the agricultural industry, lawmakers and other decision makers to ensure agriculture and rural Tennessee remain prosperous and successful. 

In addition to Mayberry being chosen as president, Marion County farmer James Haskew was elected as the new vice president. Haskew, 59, and his wife, Shannon, farm more than 1,200 acres of row crops, 300 acres of hay, and have a 120 head commercial cow/calf operation and a value-added feed mill in South Pittsburg. Haskew has served on the Marion County board of directors for nearly 40 years, serving 22 of those as county president. He and Shannon were the second-place state winners in the Young Farmer of the Year competition in 1996, and then he was first elected to the Tennessee Farm Bureau Board of Directors representing District III in 2008.