JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A farmer from Atchison County was re-elected president of the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation at its 102nd annual meeting. Voting delegates elected Blake Hurst, of Westboro, Mo., Dec. 6, to his fourth two-year term. Approving 2017 legislative policy and electing board meetings capped the three-day meeting of farmers and ranchers.

Hurst thanked members for allowing him to serve and lead the organization for the past six years. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last year and I’m grateful for a staff, board of directors and volunteers who make it possible to do what we do,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the things we will accomplish over the years to come.”

During his time as Missouri Farm Bureau president, Hurst has proven an effective spokesperson for Missouri agriculture. As a freelance writer, his essays and opinions on rural America and farming have been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The American, Weekly Standard, Wilson’s Quarterly, Reader’s Digest, Today’s Farmer and Show Me Missouri Farm Bureau magazine among others.

He continues to be sought out as a spokesperson for agriculture, not only in Missouri, but also in places like Philadelphia and New York City. He served as Missouri Farm Bureau vice president for seven years and represented his area of the state on the board of directors for eight years. His leadership roles began when he was appointed chairman of the Missouri Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, and he served on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. Hurst now serves on the AFBF Board of Directors.

Hurst is part of a family row crop farm. He raises corn and soybeans with his father, brothers, nephews and his two sons-in-law. He also runs a wholesale greenhouse business with wife, Julie, daughter, Lee, and sons-in-law. The Hursts sell bedding plants in a four-state area.

Besides Lee, Blake and Julie also have a daughter, Ann, development director for their local hospital, and son, Ben, a former JAG Captain in the U.S. Army, is practicing law in Kansas City. The Hursts have six grandchildren.