Tennessee Nominating Committee Election

Robert Elliott

Cedar Hill, Tennessee

Elliott is a seventh-generation farmer who raises registered Angus cattle, dark fired and air cured tobacco, grass and bermuda hay, and greenhouse tobacco transplants with his family on 600 acres, of which he owns 35. His wife, Lindsay, and two daughters live on the farm today. He works full-time as the District Sales Leader for Corteva Agriscience managing 11 employees, all budgets, a large agriculture retail network of dealers, farmer success and sales numbers for Pioneer Corn and Soybean lines covering Middle, East Tennessee, Northwest Tennessee, and Kentucky. Elliott is a Certified Crop Adviser and works in that capacity for his family farming operation and consults with large farm operations across Tennessee and Kentucky. Robert has been an active agriculture advocate through the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and Alpha Gamma Rho organizations. Elliott has served on the Farm Credit Mid-America Nominating Committee and is a member of the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council.

Hunter Grills

Newbern, Tennessee

Grills has a diversified row crop operation on 3,000 acres in West Tennessee. He invests in various real-estate expenditures and is also a certified Financial Coach. Grills previously served as a State Board Member of Tennessee Farm Bureau and currently serves on committees and boards for the University of Tennessee Extension, Dyer County Farm Watch, and the Tennessee Executive Residence Foundation. He and his wife volunteer with Lighthouse Children’s Homes through leading mission trips and raising awareness of orphaned and abandoned children around the world.

Heather Hardy

Gates, Tennessee

Hardy farms diversified grain and cotton with her family on over 6,000 acres. She previously worked off-farm for 8 years interacting with growers in West Tennessee in small grain seed production and precision agriculture capacities. Hardy has served on the Farm Credit Mid-America Nominating Committee, is a member of the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council, and previously served on the Farm Credit Mid-America Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer Advisory Board.

Thermon “Keith” Harrison

Watertown, Tennessee

Harrison began farming in 1984 and continues to farm part-time raising beef cattle and hay on 230 owned and 70 leased acres. He currently works for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Previously, he worked for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Tennessee Farmers’ Cooperative. Harrison serves as Chairman of the Watertown High School Scholarship Fund and as Chairman of the Wilson County Agricultural Hall of Fame. He previously served as a Committee Chairman for the Wilson County Promotions Fair Board, as Chairman of the Wilson County Farm Service Agency Committee and Chairman for the Tennessee Council of Cooperatives.

Willis Jepson

Orlinda, Tennessee

Jepson raises corn, wheat, soybeans, dark tobacco, pumpkins, and watermelon, on 6,000 owned and leased acres. He is managing partner of Jepson Family Farms, where he is the seventh generation on the family farm. He currently serves on the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council and previously served on the local Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Robertson County Farm Bureau, Robertson County Economic Development Board, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) Advancement Board, the UTIA Regional Advisory Board, and TAEP Advisory Committee. He previously served on Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s Rural Challenge Steering Committee, Kentucky Ag Leadership Program, and Kentucky Corn Growers CORE Program.

Mark Klepper

Greeneville, Tennessee

Klepper is a full-time farmer and owner of Woodlawn Farms LLC. His farm operation consists of 100 Angus beef cows, 550 acres of row crops containing corn and soybeans, small farrow to finish swine and 8 broiler houses on 820 owned and 350 leased acres. He has an associates degree in Agricultural Business from Walters State Community College. He is an FFA alumni and previously served as State Chairman of the Tennessee Young Farmers & Ranchers and Director of the Greene County Livestock Association. Klepper is Vice President of the Greene County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and Deacon of Greeneville Church of Christ. He currently serves on the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council and previously served on the local Farm Credit Advisory Committee.

Ben Sanders

Columbia, Tennessee

Sanders is the Executive Director of Government Affairs for Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee. He also runs a 150-head commercial Angus cow/calf operation and raises wheat and millet hay on 300 owned and 250 leased acres. He serves on the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council. He has had leadership roles with the Tennessee 4-H Foundation, Tennessee 4-H Alumni, University of Tennessee Alumni Association, University of Tennessee AGR Alumni Association, and is a member of the Tennessee Cattleman’s Association and the National Cattleman’s Association. He has served on the Farm Credit Mid-America Nominating Committee.

Kyle Wills

Greeneville, Tennessee

Wills owns 650 acres and leases an additional 140 acres where he raises beef cattle and feeder calves. Before farming full-time, Wills was the Credit Manager and Regional Sales Manager with Magnavox. He previously served as a member of the Greeneville Farm Credit Advisory Committee and has served on the Farm Credit Mid-America Nominating Committee and is a member of the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council. He is a member of the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association and the Greene County Cattlemen’s Association.

Brandon Whitt

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Whitt is an eighth-generation farmer on his family farm comprised of row crops and specialty crops on 400 owned and 1,900 leased acres. His farm operation includes “you pick” strawberries, hay and custom milling and bagging. Whitt previously served on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Farm Bureau, including serving as Young Farmer President. He received American Farm Bureau’s National Young Farmer of the Year award and served as Chairman of the Rutherford County Ag Committee.

Jason “Clint” Workman

Obion, Tennessee

Workman is a full-time farmer raising corn, soybeans, wheat and contract hogs on 150 owned and 1,550 leased acres. He previously served as District President of the Tennessee Young Farmers and Rancher’s Committee, on the Board of Directors of the Obion County Farm Bureau and Secretary of the Obion County Ag Committee. He currently serves as Secretary on the Obion County Farmers Cooperative Board of Directors and is a member of the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council.