3 elected to Illinois Farm Bureau board of directors

[December 13, 2013]  CHICAGO — Three new members were elected to the board of directors of the Illinois Farm Bureau at the organization's annual meeting Dec. 7-10 in Chicago.

Gary A. Speckhart, of Quincy, was elected to a two-year term to represent District 9, which encompasses Pike, Adams, Brown, Schuyler, McDonough and Hancock counties. Speckhart and his wife, Rita, operate a corn and soybean farm.

Speckhart served as president of the Adams County Farm Bureau and is currently a director for Prairie Land FS.

He is a member of the Bluff Hall Church in Payson. He and his wife have four children: Aaron, Somer, Rhiannon and Alese.

Dennis L. Hughes, of Decatur, was elected to a two-year term representing District 11, which encompasses DeWitt, Macon, Piatt, Moultrie, Shelby and Christian counties. Hughes currently works as a consultant with B and B Farms, Decatur.

Hughes served as president of the Macon County Farm Bureau from 1988 to 1994 and is a past chairman of an Illinois agriculture association.

He is currently serving as interim minister of the Illini Congregational United Church of Christ of Warrensburg. He and his wife, Betty, have three grown children: Christopher, Eric and Jonathan.

J. Larry Miller, of Thompsonville, was elected to a two-year term to represent District 17, which encompasses Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton and White counties. Miller and his wife, Kaye, operate a corn, soybean, wheat and beef cow farm with their son, Jerry.

Miller served the Franklin County Farm Bureau as vice president in 1978-1979 and was president from 1980 to 1989. He managed the Franklin County Farm Bureau from 2002 to 2013. He is a graduate of the IFB Agriculture Leaders of Tomorrow program.

Miller also served on the Franklin County Economic Development Council and was the secretary-treasurer of his local property rights association. He is a member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Franklin County. He and his wife have three children: Jerry, Jeff and Jonny.

[Text from file received from Illinois Farm Bureau]

The Illinois Farm Bureau is a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers. Founded in 1916, IFB is a nonprofit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. IFB has a total membership of more than 400,000, a voting membership of more than 82,000 and represents 3 out of 4 Illinois farmers.