County Farm Bureau elects new president
PROSPECT — The longtime president of the Butler County Farm Bureau stepped down and was replaced by a young farmer representing the next generation of agricultural producers.
Larry Voll, who has served as president for the last 15 years, decided against seeking another year as leader and was replaced by James Thiele, 29, of Cabot during the election of officers following the bureau’s annual fall meeting Thursday.
“It’s time for a change. I did my best. I did what I could,” said Voll, who previously served as vice president. “It’s time for the next generation. We have a lot of good young people on our board. They’re our future. We couldn’t have a better group of young people than what we have.”
James Thiele is joining his twin brother, William, in leading the bureau. William is a member of the county bureau board of directors and a member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau board.
Thiele said he is humbled by being selected as president, and his goal is to keep the older and younger generations of farmers united.
He said older and younger farmers don’t always agree on Farm Bureau issues and engage in “passionate discussions.”
“I look forward to working with both sides to close the gap between young and older farmers. I see both sides,” Thiele said. “I want us to work together as a team.”
Other bureau members elected to officer positions were Evelyn Minteer, as first vice president; James Boldy, as second vice president; and William Duncan, as third vice president.
Jim and Linda Halstead were elected to serve as co-secretaries replacing Cathy and Ken Metrick, who also stepped down.
In other business, the bureau is hoping that its nonprofit foundation will bring its educational Agriculture Immersion Lab to the Butler Farm Show next year.
Charlene Espenshade, executive director of the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, said the lab is a 20-foot trailer filled with educational technology. The lab displays a soil health demonstration, a virtual tractor ride, interactive agricultural trivia and activities, interactive videos of farms and other information, she said.
Agriculture career training could be come available through the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board of Butler.
Assistant director Paul Weifenbaugh said the board is preparing to apply to the state for a $125,000 grant to provide workforce development for two years for residents of Butler, Armstrong and Indiana counties.
He said training for agricultural careers, such as meat processing, would be funded through the grant.
Raffles held at Thursday’s meeting raised $2,426 toward the purchase of another grain silo rescue tube for a fire department in the county. The bureau has already purchased three rescue tubes and gave them to the Prospect, North Washington and Saxonburg volunteer fire departments.
