Tennessee Nominating Committee Election

Andy Davis

Sparta

Davis raises corn, wheat, soybeans and sweet corn on over 3,000 acres of land and operates a trucking, and custom farming business alongside his father and brothers at Davis Farms. He and his wife, Terra, also raise cattle and sweet corn, and operate a small agritourism operation on their home farm. They have two children, Colson and Attie. After graduating from UT-Knoxville with a Master of Science in Ag Economics, Davis went on to obtain an MBA from UT-Martin. He also worked as a Loan Officer for Farm Credit Mid-America and as a Farm Management Specialist with UT Extension. Davis currently holds leadership positions with the White County Farm Bureau Board, White County Ag Committee, River Sparta Church and is a member of the Tennessee Corn Growers Association, Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association and the Tennessee Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program.

Robert Elliott

Cedar Hill

Elliott works full-time as the District Sales Leader for Corteva Agriscience with the Pioneer and PhytoGen Seed brands managing 11 employees, all budgets, a large agriculture retail network of dealers, farmer success and sales numbers for Corn, Soybeans, Canola, and PhytoGen Cotton lines covering Middle, East, and Northwest Tennessee and all of Kentucky. He 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. He and his wife, Lindsay, and two daughters live on the farm today. Elliott is a Certified Crop Adviser and works in that capacity for his family farming operation and consults with large farming operations across Tennessee and Kentucky. He has been an active agriculture advocate through the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, 4-H programs, UTIA, and Alpha Gamma Rho. Elliott has served on the Farm Credit Mid-America Nominating committee and is a member of the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council.

Heather Hardy

Brownsville

Hardy farms diversified grain and cotton with her family. 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. She serves on the board of directors for the Halls First Methodist Church and is a part of the Haywood County Leadership Board of Directors where she chairs the Youth Leadership Committee.

Will Hutchinson

Murfreesboro

Hutchinson co-owns and operates Hutchinson Farms, where he raises 4,200 acres of hay, corn and soybeans. He is responsible for managing the operation’s financial recordkeeping, including planning, budgeting, and preparing financial statements. He graduated from Tennessee Tech with a Bachelor of Agriculture and holds a leadership position with the Tennessee Soybean Council.

Willis Jepson

Orlinda

Jepson is a seventh-generation farmer in his family farming operation. He began a partnership with his parents after graduating from UT-Knoxville in 1999 and they currently farm approximately 10,000 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, watermelon, pumpkins and dark tobacco. Jepson also holds many leadership positions or participates in organizations, including: the Corn Growers Association; Small Grain Association; Robertson County Farm Bureau Board; National Watermelon Association; Soybean Growers Association; KY Ag Leadership Program; KY Corn Core Program; Top Tier Peer Group; Tennessee Agriculture Enhancement Program Board; Governor Bill Haslam Rural Challenge Committee; the Robertson County Economic Development Board; and the University of Tennessee Institute of Ag Advancement Board. He is a current member of the Farm Credit Mid- America Advocate Council.

Tom McDow

Covington

McDow is a farmer with a family operation consisting of 3,500 acres of row crops, including corn, cotton, soybeans, wheat and canola. He has farmed with his family and worked in the agricultural industry for Corteva for approximately 12 years. McDow has a Bachelor’s Degree in Agribusiness from Mississippi State University with a minor in economics and agronomy. He has served in positions that include serving as the District Cotton Supply Lead for Corteva, the Vice Chairman of First Baptist Church Finance Committee and Vice Chairman of the Tipton County Young Farmers. McDow currently serves on the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council and Nominating Committee.

Nick Patterson

Red Boiling Springs

Patterson began his career as a mixed animal veterinarian but left his practice to focus on further development of the family farming operation. Together, Patterson and his wife operate Acres of Grace Farms, LLC in Clay County with a focus on the beef cattle industry. They farm hay/pasture ground, steward over 300 acres used for silage/haylage production for their own cattle and raise commercial cows. Patterson’s farming operation includes agritourism with multi-day vendor events, attracting thousands to the family farm, along with a fall pumpkin patch, corn maze and other family-friendly attractions. He is currently a member of the inaugural Tennessee Ag and Forestry Leadership Program, President-Elect of the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association, and Vice President of the Clay County Farm Bureau.

Perry Philpott

Englewood

Philpott is the owner and manager of Philpott Farms and grows row crops, timber and cattle on approximately 4,500 total acres. He is the co-owner and manager of Tradewinds Investments Property and owns Latitude Residential Property Management. Philpott is also a licensed contractor and owner of Philpott Builders and Philpott Initiatives Construction. He earned a degree in Business Management and Finance from Tennessee Wesleyan University. Philpott is a Deacon for FBC Englewood, a member of the People’s Bank Advisory Board, and coaches soccer for the McMinn United Futbol Club. He is a current member of the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council.

Ben Sanders

Columbia

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 600 owned and 150 leased acres. He serves on the Farm Credit Mid-America Advocate Council and has served on the Farm Credit Mid-America Nominating Committee. 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 Cattlemen’s Association and the National Cattlemen’s Association.

Dan Strasser

Chapel Hill

Strasser is Director of Special Programs for Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, a role in which he focuses on helping farmers through education and leadership development. Born and raised in a dairy farming family, Strasser and his wife are raising their family on the same farm. He partners with neighboring farmers who produce row crops, hay and livestock on portions of his land. Strasser obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He currently serves as Vice President on the Tennessee Council of Cooperatives Board, Chairman of the Board for Chesterton Academy of the Incarnation and the State Coordinator for Tennessee Young Farmers and Ranchers.