NACD's 2013-2014 new officer team was elected by the NACD Board during its meeting in San Antonio, Texas at the 2013 Annual Meeting.
Earl Garber of Basile, La. was elected as the 2013 NACD President, replacing outgoing President Gene Schmidt, whose two-year term ended this year. Garber, a licensed crop consultant and rice, soybean and hay producer, held the position of Louisiana Board Member for NACD, prior to being elected as NACD Second Vice President in 2009, First Vice President in 2011, and President-elect in 2012. He has served as Chairman of the NACD Legislative Foundation Committee for the past four years.
Lee McDaniel of Darlington, Md. was elected as NACD's First Vice President. McDaniel is the owner of Indian Spring Farm LLC, an 850 acre beef cattle and crop farm. In addition to holding various leadership positions within NACD since 2005, McDaniel served as a member of the EPA Farm Ranch and Rural Communities Committee from 2010–2011 and as President of the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts from 2005-2009.
The newly-elected Second Vice President is Brent Van Dyke of Hobbs, N.M. In addition to serving as the owner and operator of Agro/Biotech—a producer of high-quality horse hay—since 1987, Van Dyke has served as an Agriculture Education teacher and as an employee of the U.S. State Department for more than 30 years.
Dick Went of Scituate, RI was elected as Secretary/Treasurer. Went has served in NACD leadership since 2008. He has also served in a variety of state-level positions, including: President of the Rhode Island Association of Conservation Districts, Board Member of the Rhode Island Conservators Organization, Board Member of the Rhode Island Envirothon, and member of the NRCS State Technical Committee.
For more information, click here to read the press release.