Five individuals were recognized for going above and beyond in their volunteer spirit to the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation with the Distinguished Service Award.
District I:
Frank McGinley of Hardin County is the recipient from District I. He and his family had a cow/calf operation for many years before transitioning to focusing mainly on corn, cotton, soybeans, wheat and timber production. Serving on the Hardin County Farm Bureau board of directors for more than 30 years and five of those as county president, Frank has been a strong advocate for developing farm policy.
District II:
Randy Whitehead of Lincoln County is the recipient from District II. Randy taught vocational agriculture for 15 years before his dreams of having his own dairy became a reality in 1978 when the family started milking again. He has been involved in Farm Bureau since his college days and has served on the board of directors in Lincoln County for the past 42 years, ten of those as county president.
District III:
Edsel Freels of Rhea County is the recipient from District III. The Freels’ farm has consisted of beef cattle, hay, tobacco, corn, wheat and hogs through the years. He has served on numerous committees and was instrumental in starting the Farm City Day in the county. He has also served on the Rhea County board of directors since 1985 and currently the past 36 years as county president.
District IV:
Kathleen Hitchcock of Van Buren County is the recipient from District IV. Along with serving as a bank teller for many years, Kathleen and her husband raised beef cattle and hay. She first got involved with Farm Bureau when she would help cook for their annual meeting, but her leadership evolved and she was first elected to the Van Buren board of directors in 1985. Today, she serves as a lifetime member of the board.
District V:
Eddie Mitchell of Campbell County is the recipient from District V. Eddie started farming in high school when he planted his first tobacco crop. He then went on to raise beef cattle and hay and started a dairy business in 1978 which sustained his operation until 1993 when he solely grew tobacco. He has served on the Campbell County board of directors and as county president.
