Hobey Bauhan has served as President of Virginia Poultry Federation since 1998.  Prior to joining the Federation, Bauhan held several positions in the administration of Virginia Governor George Allen, including Senior Policy Advisor at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; Special Assistant to the Secretary of Natural Resources; and Acting Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Department.  Previously, Bauhan was Director of Government Relations for the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association in Bethesda, Maryland; Legislative Director to U.S. Representative George Allen; and Legislative Assistant to U.S. Representative D. French Slaughter, Jr.  Bauhan serves on several boards, including the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (2018 Chair); the Harrisonburg Electric Commission; and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development.  Previously, Bauhan was Chairman of the Board of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce (2013) and served on the Governor’s Council on Revenue Estimates from 2002 to 2013.  Bauhan grew up in Goochland County, Virginia, and graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1988.  He is a 2006 graduate of the UVA Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership Political Leaders Program.  His wife, Ginna, and he have two daughters and reside in Harrisonburg, VA.

 

Mike Bollinger is a native of Brunswick County, Va. He has worked at newspapers in Bath County, Lawrenceville and South Hill in Virginia and in Elizabeth City, Henderson and Warrenton, North Carolina. He is currently the Bath County News editor for The Recorder, where he has worked for the past 9 years. When he’s not working, he enjoys reading, watching sports and playing tennis. He is a former high school tennis coach.

 

 

 

Kevin Brown Biography Kevin’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where his blue collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. His resume includes an eclectic mix of career stops that ultimately led him to the purchase of a franchise at the age of seventeen. With a street-wise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom. Kevin was a sales and marketing executive that helped grow a little known family business into an industry giant with annual revenues reaching two billion dollars. After a career that spanned 30 years, Kevin decided to retire from corporate America and pursue his passion for bringing The HERO EffectTM message to as many people and organizations as possible. Kevin is on a mission to help people and organizations embrace a simple philosophy that separates world class organizations and high performance people from everybody else. He is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential and grow their results.  Kevin entertains, inspires and challenges people to show up every day and make a positive difference at work and in life!

Jason Carter is the Executive Director of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, the Commonwealth’s largest beef cattle association representing over 7,000 producers.  Prior to joining VCA, Jason was employed by Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension as an animal science extension agent based in the Shenandoah Valley.  He worked extensively in livestock marketing and beef production systems evaluation in addition to conducting independent and cooperative research in the areas of forages, nutrition, reproduction and early weaning.  Additionally, he helped lead area 4-H and FFA livestock education, serving as an assistant coach to a nationally renowned livestock judging program.  As Executive Director of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, Jason serves on numerous advisory boards related to land use, economic development, nutrient management and water quality within the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Conservation and Recreation and Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as a cross disciplinary stakeholder group invested in the progress of the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Watershed Improvement Program.  Having earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Animal Science from Virginia Tech, he remains active professionally and personally with the University.  Jason was born into a multi-generational farm producing cattle, row crop and tobacco in central Virginia since the American colonial era.

 

 

Kathy Dixon holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University. She worked as a reporter and lifestyles editor for two daily newspapers before making the switch to corporate communications in 1990. She worked as an assistant editor at Southern States Cooperative, and two years later joined the Virginia Farm Bureau communications department as editor of its newspaper, Virginia Farm Bureau News. Kathy returned to Farm Bureau as a part-time staff writer for two years and then pursued an opportunity to work as a project manager. Kathy was drawn back to Farm Bureau in 2008, and she currently serves as assistant editor and senior staff writer, and co-leads media training workshops.

 

 

 

Anna Kelly of Fairfax is the 2019 Miss State Fair of Virginia. Kelly, 22, earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Auburn University and aspires to earn a master’s degree in political management. She was crowned Sept. 22 and represented the title at the 2018 State Fair of Virginia. She will compete for the title of Miss Virginia in June 2019.  Her personal platform is “End the Apathy Epidemic: Promoting Youth Political Engagement.” She said politics had a major influence on her life while she was growing up just outside Washington in a politically outspoken family. She is employed as a political operations associate in the production department for FP1 Strategies, a public affairs and political consulting firm in northern Virginia.   

 

Becky Lillywhite has worked for the Center for Rural Culture in Central Virginia, managing their online farmers market, Fall Line Farms and Local Roots for the last 8 years.  The most rewarding and gratifying times are when our Producers, both young and young at heart, become collaborators, trading skills, enhancing productivity and bringing to it all to our most appreciative market customers who respect the value of fresh and local products.  Becky enjoys cooking, canning and gardening and calls her home in Powhatan County, her little piece of heaven.

 

A Marshall University graduate and Beckley, W.Va. native, Sherri McKinney has been working in television news and public relations since 1991. Her career began in Oak Hill at WOAY-TV4, then onto Charleston as an anchor at WCHS-TV8. She moved to Richmond in 1998 and worked as an anchor and reporter for WTVR-TV 6 before entering the public relations field in 2001. She has been working with Virginia Farm Bureau Federation in communications and as a host for its television program Real Virginia, which airs nationwide and throughout Virginia weekly. Sherri also co-leads media training sessions.

 

Jimmy is a third generation dairy farmer from Fauquier County, in business with his brother, Ronnie.  Together, they own and operate O.B. Messick & Sons dairy farm as well as Cowpie Compost and Messick’s Farm Market.  Jimmy entered the industry immediately after high school and has been farming full time until 2013, when he opened the farm market.   The Messick Family will celebrate their centennial year of farming in 2019.  Jimmy’s many passions include rail-to-trail conversion, community service and innovative creations.

 

Donnie Montgomery co-founded Homestead Creamery to ensure his family’s Stoney Brook Dairy farm in Franklin County would survive for future generations. After farming with his father, he knew he wanted the same opportunity for his two sons, Jamie and Brandon, who are now the 4th generation to farm the family’s land, and Brandon’s son, Grayson, hopes to be the 5th generation.

 

Martha Moore is vice president of governmental relations for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. Her responsibilities include managing Farm Bureau’s overall lobbying efforts at the local, state and national levels and handling issues related to higher education, as well as any budget issues. Moore grew up on a farm in Pittsylvania County.

 

 

Michele Payn, CSP, connects the people and science of food and farming as principal of Cause Matters Corp. She is known for being a community catalyst, a passionate advocate for the global agrifood system  and antagonizing people into action. Michele has worked with farmers in more than 25 countries, raised over $5 million in sponsorships for the National FFA Foundation and founded the weekly online Twitter conversations, AgChat and Food Chat. Michele's degrees are in Agricultural Communications and Animal Science from Michigan State University. She is an international award winning author and has earned the Certified Speaking Professional designation, awarded to less than 10% of professional speakers globally. She resides with her ‘city slicker’ husband and daughter on a small farm in central Indiana, where they enjoy Registered Holsteins, fitness, and making memories around the table. Michele connects conversations between the food and farm communities at http://causematters.com and socially through @mpaynspeaker. She is the author of two books, No More Food Fights! and Food Truths from Farm to Table, a #1 best seller.

 

 

Seth and Courtney Umbarger own and operate Laurel Springs Farm located in Marion, Virginia, with their three children. Seth is the fifth generation to farm the land at Laurel Springs. Originally, Laurel Springs Farm was the oldest dairy in Smyth County, and Seth spent 10 years milking with his family after graduation. In 2013, he transitioned to an all-natural beef cattle herd. Courtney joined the farm in 2013, and expanded their farming operation into a retail business where the final product of their beef is sold. In addition to selling live cattle, the Umbargers sell beef from their farm store, at farmers markets, and to restaurants as wholesale purveyors.  Seth and Courtney are proud Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni. 

 

AFBF Vice President Scott VanderWal is a third-generation corn and soybean farmer and cattle feeder from Volga, South Dakota. He farms with his father, brothers and other members of his family. In addition to cattle feeding and crop production, the family also has a custom harvesting operation.  VanderWal was elected AFBF vice president in January 2016 and soon after was selected to represent AFBF on the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance board of directors. VanderWal continues to serve as president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau, a position he’s held since June 2004. He previously served as SDFB vice president (elected in 2001) and as a member of the SDFB board.  VanderWal and his wife, Michelle have two sons who are both married. Scott served on their local school board for 9 years, and they are both active in their church where Scott serves as treasurer and elder.

 

 

Martha currently serves as one of three Community Viability Specialists with Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) and is a faculty member in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.  Martha joined Extension in 2005 after serving for 28 years at Danville Community College.  She now works with Virginia counties, cities and state agencies assessing community needs, and facilitating community-based action plans.  Dr. Walker launched Virginia Cooperative Extension’s grassroots leadership program, Innovative Leadership:  Building Community Connections, an 18-hour training focused on building leadership skills and knowledge.  She also co-teaches the Virginia Association of Counties’ County Supervisor Certification program.  In 2015, Martha received the Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Excellence in Extension (Individual Specialist) in addition to the programming awards she received throughout her career with Extension.  Martha has a Bachelor’s degree from Averett College, a Master of Science degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Old Dominion University. 

Harley Boone Band

It is often said that music can stir the soul and elicit previously undiscovered emotions:  Harley Boone excels at doing exactly that.  This dynamic group of musicians merges country, bluegrass and rock elements into a sharp contemporary sound.  Possessing a diverse instrumentation (including fiddle, mandolin, accordion, banjo, pedal steel), soulful & fiery vocals, and an unrivaled passion for music, Harley Boone delivers an unparalleled experience.  So whether you love Country music or want to hear something different from the norm, make sure that you request Harley Boone for your next event.  The band is comfortable in both large festival formats and small private gatherings; no matter the size of your event, Harley Boone will coalesce and harmonize to make any event inclusive and intimate.  We can promise you that you'll be singing along and dancing all night, to favorites of the past and hits from today.  Harley Boone:  A guaranteed down-home, good time!