Dale Moore and Larry Wooten Receive Top Farm Bureau Honors

The American Farm Bureau Federation will present its highest honors, the Distinguished Service Award and the Farm Bureau Founders Award, to former AFBF Executive Vice President Dale Moore and former North Carolina Farm Bureau President Larry Wooten, respectively, during the 2023 American Farm Bureau Convention, Jan. 6-11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

AFBF established the Distinguished Service Award in 1928 to honor individuals who have devoted their careers to serving the national interest of American agriculture. Established in January 2017, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Founders Award for exemplary leadership, service or contributions to Farm Bureau is presented in recognition of outstanding achievements and work in the interest of Farm Bureau.

Moore, a Kansas native raised on a family farm, has been a champion for agriculture in the public and private sectors for more than 40 years. His influential and accomplished career included stints on Capitol Hill, at several agricultural trade associations and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he served under four secretaries. His tenure included helping shape seven farm bills starting in 1985 through the current legislation enacted in 2018. His early work in Washington included more than a dozen years in various staff positions for the House Agriculture Committee and on the personal staff of former Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kans.) when he was in the House of Representatives.

“When I stop and think about all the success, the joys, the blessings I’ve had in my career, I can’t put enough chairs around the table to see all the people who were an important part of that process,” Moore said.

Most recently, Moore was executive vice president at AFBF from 2018-2022, after serving as vice president of public affairs, deputy executive director for public policy, and manager of the agriculture and trade policy team for the organization. At AFBF, he was well-known for both his encyclopedic knowledge of historical farm policy and its implications for farmers and ranchers, and his mentorship of young staff new to D.C. and agriculture.

“Coming from rural Kansas and the opportunities he’s had to serve in so many different areas representing agriculture have been such a benefit to all of us, particularly American Farm Bureau,” said Rich Felts, immediate past president of Kansas Farm Bureau.

Wooten’s Farm Bureau career spans more than 50 years, starting when he was a farmer member and later president of Pender County (North Carolina) Farm Bureau. At NCFB, he served on several committees including Young Farmers & Ranchers, Tobacco Advisory and Resolutions. From 1994-1999, he served as assistant to the president (administrator) at NCFB. In 1999, he was elected president of NCFB, a position he held until 2019 while also serving as president of all corporations and affiliates. Under Wooten’s leadership, NCFB grew to more than 577,000 family memberships.

A commitment to developing agriculture leaders for the future is a hallmark of Wooten’s career, including support for collegiate Farm Bureau, YF&R and other leadership development programs. “I think this is what separates Farm Bureau from a lot of other ag organizations,” Wooten said. “We’ve made a conscious effort to develop leadership for the future.”

Wooten’s international experience includes extensive travel in Europe, Africa and South America promoting trade and U.S. agriculture. He also chaired AFBF’s Trade Advisory Committee. His additional AFBF leadership experience includes serving on the AFBF board of directors during his tenure as NCFB president, and as a member and chair of the national YF&R committee.

Shawn Harding, current president of NCFB, praised Wooten’s team-oriented leadership style. “He has the ability to make everyone feel a part of the team and a part of the vision of what we are doing,” Harding said. Wooten led NCFB during several legislative and policy successes, including the initiation of the Tobacco Buyout Program and the passage of state laws protecting farmers’ right to farm, among many others.

Moore was nominated by the Kansas Farm Bureau for the DSA. Wooten was nominated by North Carolina Farm Bureau for the Founders Award. A national Farm Bureau committee selected each of the winners.