Ronnie Anderson, the longest-serving Farm Bureau state president in America, will retire this summer after 31 years of leading the largest agriculture network in Louisiana.
Anderson won an astounding 31 straight elections. “You have to run every year,” he said, before deciding during the annual Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in June that he would not seek re-election, The News Star reports.
“It’s the right time for me,” says Anderson, 71, who informed the Farm Bureau board of his decision this afternoon. “You always want to leave a job when you feel like you’re still performing at a top level.”
The Louisiana Farm Bureau has been a powerful political force under Anderson, elevating its influence in agriculture advocacy.
“We have a tremendous network of members in every parish who can influence local and statewide elections; politicians have come to realize if you get the support of the Farm Bureau that can make a difference,” Anderson says. “That influence is important to our members and the agriculture industry as we try to advance our priorities.”
Anderson has also served on the LSU Board of Supervisors in all but two years since former Gov. Mike Foster appointed him in 1997.
The Louisiana Farm Bureau has grown from about 67,000 members in 1989 to more than 148,000 under Anderson’s watch.
Anderson grew up on a dairy farm in East Feliciana Parish and returned to join the family business after graduating from LSU. Read the full story.
