(Gainesville, Fla.) – John L. Hoblick, president of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF), has announced the appointment of Frankie Hall as director of the Agricultural Policy Division, Adam Basford as national affairs coordinator and Andrew Walmsley as an assistant director of the Agricultural Policy Division.
Hall will manage the division’s policy development and implementation efforts and coordinate the Federation’s state advisory committees. He has been employed by Florida Farm Bureau for more than 20 years. A graduate of the University of Florida, he once taught vocational agriculture and was recognized as the Vocational Teacher of the Year for the State of Florida. He served as the livestock superintendent for the Florida State Fair from 1991-97. He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Gainesville.
As national affairs coordinator, Basford will be responsible for federal legislative issues as well as building relationships with Florida Congressional delegation. He will coordinate Farm Bureau’s Agricultural Contact Team (FB ACT) program, which enables members to interact with elected officials on issues of importance to agriculture. Raised on a Jackson County peanut and hog farm, Basford holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communications from the University of West Florida and a master’s degree in Agricultural Communications from the University of Florida. He lives in the Gainesville area with his wife, Laura, and two sons, Jackson and Owen. He has been employed by the Federation for five years.
As an assistant director of the Agricultural Policy Division, Walmsley will be the lead staff member on energy issues and will work with Florida Farm Bureau’s advisory committees. He will also be responsible for FFBF’s Carbon Trading Program and Environmental Services Program. Walmsley earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Operations Management from the University of Florida. Prior to joining FFBF two years ago, he worked for Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the University of Florida’s Swine Teaching Unit, Beef Teaching Unit and the Agronomy and Irrigation Research Park. He is a former Noble Ruler of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and a member of Gamma Sigma Delta honorary agricultural fraternity. He is a sixth-generation Floridian and resides in Gainesville with his wife, Katherine, and their daughter, Madison.
The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general-interest agricultural association with about 138,000 member-families statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, the Federation is an independent, nonprofit agricultural organization. More information about Florida Farm Bureau is available on the organization’s Web site, http://FloridaFarmBureau.org