Florida Farm Bureau to honor Bobby Beagles and George Poucher with Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award

Florida Farm Bureau Federation will honor Orange County cattle producer Bobby Beagles and Suwannee County farmer George Poucher with its highest honor, the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, at its 67th annual meeting Oct. 8-10 at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. President John L. Hoblick will present the awards during the President’s Celebration and Awards Ceremony, which begins at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9.

“We are pleased to honor these agricultural leaders for their lifelong service to agriculture and to Farm Bureau,” said Federation President John L. Hoblick. “Both of these men have served as president of their county Farm Bureaus and have made service to agriculture and their communities a central theme in their lives.”

Beagles, the retiring president of the Orange County Farm Bureau, was honored in 2007 with the Jefferson Award, an award founded to recognize public and community service. He shares that distinction with luminaries including Bill and Melinda Gates, Jerry Ford, Elizabeth Dole, Walter Cronkite and Lee Iacocca. He has been a tireless advocate for agriculture in Orange County and is well known among county, state and national governmental leaders.

Poucher, who passed away in January 2008, farmed with his wife, Betty, near Live Oak in Suwannee County. He served on the Suwannee County Farm Bureau board of directors for almost 40 years while working to promote agriculture at the state and local levels. George and Betty were known throughout the community for their enthusiasm for agriculture and their fondness for helping young people, and Betty continues this tradition in their community.