Riceland Foods adds three new board members

The farmer members of Riceland Foods have elected three new members to its board of directors.

Benjamin Nobles of Poplar Bluff, Mo. will serve as the new director representing District Four. Mikka Felty of Stanford, Ark. will serve as a director of District Two. Gary Sitzer of Weiner, Ark. will serve Riceland members in District Three.

Riceland’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Rich Hillman welcomed the incoming directors.

“With the agriculture industry facing some challenging times, adding new directors to serve our cooperative’s membership is no small undertaking,” Hillman said. “Their commitment to the cooperative mission inspires confidence in the future, and I am looking forward to serving with Benjamin, Mikka and Gary as they take on their new roles.”

Nobles farms rice, soybeans and corn near Qulin, Mo. and Pollard, Ark. Nobles grew up on his family’s farm. He began working full-time on the farm in 2008 alongside his father and uncle, while adding acres of his own. He and his brother, Danyel, joined forces to continue the family farming tradition in 2024 when his dad and uncle retired.

Felty is a third-generation rice, soybean, wheat and corn farmer in Greene County, Ark. Encouraged by her father, grandfather and other members of her farm family, Felty got her start in rice farming in 2008. Felty began farming full-time in 2020, and she took over the family farming operation full-time in 2022.

Sitzer is a fourth-generation rice farmer from Weiner, Ark. He has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business from Arkansas State University. Sitzer served on the Weiner Grain Drying Cooperative Board from 1983-1992, and he is a graduate of LeadAR. He has served as a past chairman of Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, Arkansas Soybean Association, and Farm Credit.

“It is always an honor to welcome new board members as they begin their service to the Riceland membership,” said Riceland Foods President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin McGilton. “Over the last year, the membership has appointed six new board members, and the staff has worked diligently to create a robust orientation program to ensure our new board members are well informed as they begin their service. We look forward to the leadership Benjamin, Mikka and Gary bring to our board room.”