Agriculture Hall of Fame to induct five new members

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame will induct five men whose leadership and service have brought distinction to Arkansas agriculture, the state’s largest industry.

The newest class includes:

• Dr. Lionel Barton of Fayetteville (Washington County), poultry specialist and professor emeritus with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. Dr. Barton dedicated his career to strengthening the poultry industry in Arkansas and was instrumental in the development of the University’s Poultry Center for Excellence.

•  Abraham Carpenter Sr. of Grady (Lincoln County), founder and owner of Carpenter produce, a 1,500-acre, family-run enterprise that has supplied quality produce to the state and nation for more than 40 years.

• Jon S. Fitch (deceased), a former state senator and director of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission. Among other accomplishments, Fitch was instrumental in the eradication of the cattle disease brucellosis in Arkansas.

• Stanley E. Reed (deceased), former chair of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees and president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. Reed was a cotton and soybean farmer from Lee County who spent his life advocating for and furthering the cause of agriculture in Arkansas.

• Howarth Erwin Taylor of Hickory Ridge (Cross County), president of Hickory Ridge Rice Farms, Taylor Seed Co. and Hickory Ridge Farm Supply Co. Taylor has been a leader in the rice industry for more than 60 years.

The group will be honored at the 24th annual induction luncheon, 11:30 a.m., March 9 in the Ambassador Ballroom of Little Rock’s Embassy Suites Hotel. Luncheon tickets are $35 each and are available by calling (501) 228-1470.

The Agriculture Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas Farm Bureau. It honors those who have made significant contributions to Arkansas agriculture, as well as community and economic development.

For more information contact:

Steve Eddington
steve.eddington@arfb.com
(501) 228-1383
PO Box 31, Little Rock 72203

or

Ken Moore
ken.moore@arfb.com
(501) 228-1512
PO Box 31, Little Rock 72203