Jonesboro’s David Gairhan Receives Farm Bureau Award
by December 4, 2014 6:47 pm 232 views
A Craighead County farmer was honored Wednesday by a state agriculture group for his work and leadership skills.
David Wayne Gairhan, Jr., a rice, soybean and corn farmer from Jonesboro, is the 2014 recipient of the Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award from the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation.
Gairhan accepted the award from Farm Bureau President Randy Veach, Charlene Reed, Stanley’s widow, and Farm Bureau Vice President Rich Hillman.
The award was presented Wednesday during the organization’s 80th annual conference at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Gairhan, 40, is a third-generation farmer.
The award goes to an active member – 36 to 45 years old – for outstanding leadership within their county Farm Bureau and community.
“It’s a great honor. Stanley was a great leader to young people,” Gairhan said. “I was his first vice chairman of Young Farmers & Ranchers and served with him for two years which was a great honor. He took the time to bring young people in and show them Farm Bureau, as well as how important it is to do things for agriculture.”
Gairhan has followed in Reed’s footsteps by recruiting many farmers into the county Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee and the Craighead County Farm Bureau board. He says Reed taught him to give back to the community, too.
Gairhan is a former Craighead County Farm Bureau president and continues to be active in other agri-related organizations.
He also teaches Sunday school and is active in community philanthropic endeavors.
Gairhan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from Arkansas State University. He and his wife, Toni, have two children, son Tripp, 3, and 9-month-old-daughter, Millie.
Arkansas Farm Bureau created the award in 2011 in honor of Stanley Reed, who was president of Arkansas Farm Bureau from 2003-2008. He died in an automobile accident one-car crash in July 2011.
Arkansas Farm Bureau is a nonprofit, private advocacy organization of more than 190,000 families throughout the state working to improve farm and rural life.