FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2021
Oregon Farm Bureau welcomes a new member to its team, Lauren Smith, who will be serve as OFB director of government affairs.
Smith is an attorney who worked as the public policy counsel at Oregon Water Resources Congress for five years, followed by serving as the natural resources legislative affairs manager at the Association of Oregon Counties.
Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Willamette University and is a graduate of Willamette Law School.
Earlier in her career, she worked as legislative director for state Senator Jason Atkinson.
“After spending most of my career working in natural resources, I am so excited to join the Oregon Farm Bureau family,” said Smith. “I consider it an honor to do what I can to protect what makes Oregon such an amazing place to live, specifically our diverse farming, ranching, and forestry operations, and I look forward to working alongside the rest of the OFB team.”
Said OFB EVP Dave Dillon, “Lauren brings a breadth and depth on many issues important to Farm Bureau members and has great experience and relationships in the Oregon public policy arena. We are excited to welcome her to the OFB team.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 24, 2021
Contact: Marie Schmidt, schmidtannm@embarqmail.com
Yamhill County Farm Bureau awarded $2,000 scholarships to three students this year. Congratulations to JD Stables, Jr., Hanna VanDeWalle, and Joshua Flores!
JD Stables, Jr. is the son of Carla and John Stables and graduated from Amity High School. He is currently a junior at Oregon State University majoring in Rangeland Science. He has had a long history of involvement in 4-H and FFA, winning many awards for his accomplishments and leadership, including the American FFA Degree 2021. John also served as a volunteer at many fund-raising events and participated in a contest called the Oregon State Envirothon, earning 2nd place. His future career goals include additional educational degrees and to someday be involved in Rangeland Extension, possibly as an Extension Agent or in agricultural education.
The next recipient is a Yamhill-Carlton School graduate, Hanna VanDeWalle. Her parents are Kimberly and David VanDeWalle. Hanna is studying Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University, making the Dean’s List. She has been active for many years in FFA, including Y-C FFA Chapter president and earning many honors, including State FFA Degree and State FFA Landscape Management Proficiency winner. She has also done an internship at Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom. Hanna’s long-term goal is to be an Ag teacher.
The final recipient is Joshua Flores, from McMinnville High School and currently a junior at Oregon State University majoring in Soil Science/Sustainable Ag and making Dean’s List. His parents are Sergio and Brenda Flores. Joshua is an Eagle Scout, a member of the Organic Growers’ Club and doing an internship with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. With the skills and knowledge earned from pursuing his degree, he plans to work with and help landowners improve the care of their resources.
Each student receives $2,000. Yamhill County Farm Bureau congratulates these exceptional students and all young people pursuing careers in support of agriculture.
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