Committee Members
CHAIRMAN - BARBARA WILSON, AUDRAIN COUNTY
Barbara Wilson chairs the Promotion and Education committee. She is currently the Audrain County Farm Bureau President and serves on the Missouri Farm Bureau Board of Directors. Locally she has served as Audrain County Farm Bureau president, vice-president, treasurer and promotion and education chairman. Wilson and her husband, Bruce, raise corn and soybeans north of Mexico. They have two children, Allison and Matthew.
VICE-CHAIRMAN - TERIBETH SPARGO, RIPLEY COUNTY
Teribeth Spargo vice-chairs the state promotion and education committee. She is currently the Ripley County Farm Bureau promotion and education chair and serves on the Missouri Farm Bureau Board of Directors. Spargo and her husband, Will, farm 3,000 acres of rice and soybeans in Missouri and northeast Arkansas in partnership with Will’s parents and grandparents. Teribeth is a former elementary school teacher who now works on the farm and raises their two children, Ricanna, and Bryce.
DISTRICT 1 - SHERI MEADOWS OF MOUND CITY, MISSOURI
Meadows and her husband, Scott, farm 1,500 acres of row crops. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a BBA degree in finance. Meadows has been active in the Holt County Farm Bureau and in 2005 won the State Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award. The Meadows have three children, Sianna, Sydney and Selah.
DISTRICT 2 - JAMES WILSON OF ANABEL, MISSOURI
Wilson is a carpenter and farmer. He and his wife, Nikki, have a 1,200-acre row-crop farm, raise hay and have a cow/calf operation. Wilson has been active in the Macon County Farm Bureau and currently serves as its President. He has served on the Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, the Beef Committee and received the Excellence in Agriculture award in 2010. In addition, Wilson is a Macon Rural Fire Department officer and board member, Local Emergency Planning Committee member, and chairman of the Macon County Enhanced 911 Board of Directors. Special honors include being named Macon County Soil and Water Conservationist of the Year in 2011 and the Missouri Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year in 2008. The Wilsons have two children, Lauren and Tysen.
DISTRICT 3 - KEELY UTHLAUT OF NEW FLORENCE , MISSOURI
Uthlaut is an accountant at Eikermann and Associates, LLC and a bookkeeper for Sho-Me Group, Inc. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia with a business management degree. Uthlaut and her husband, Ernst, have a family farm on which they grow row crops, swine and cattle. In 2012, they were honored as the Missouri Angus Association Commercial Producer of the Year. The Uthlauts have three children, Amelia, Elaina and Lance.
DISTRICT 4 - GARY NOAKES OF LOWRY CITY, MISSOURI
Noakes is a farmer and former agriculture education instructor. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in ag education and a master’s degree in education. He and his wife, Joyce, have a 2,500-acre diversified crop and cattle farm. Noakes has been active in the St. Clair County Farm Bureau and currently serves as President. He also serves as chairman of the St. Clair County Republican Central Committee and is a member of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. The Noakes have three grown children.
DISTRICT 5 - CHERI SCHEER OF NEW HAVEN, MISSOURI
Scheer and her husband, Steve, raise row crops and beef cattle in Franklin County with Steve's parents. The couple have two teenage sons. Cheri is a 7th grade science teacher at Owensville Middle School and was nominated teacher of the year for Gasconade County RII School in 2010. Cheri and Steve served on the Missouri Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee in 2003 and are both involved in the Franklin County Farm Bureau.
DISTRICT 6 - REBECCA BRANUM OF NEW MADRID, MISSOURI
Branum owns Branum Farms, renting out 920 acres of row crops that include rice and cotton. A Farm Bureau member for 25 years, she currently serves as a New Madrid County Farm Bureau board member and Promotion and Education chair. She is also a member of the New Madrid County Bootheel RC&D Committee on the board of the Eighth Congressional District Service Academy. Branum is a trustee and teacher at New Madrid Baptist Church.
DISTRICT 7 - VANCE KEATON OF ANDERSON, MISSOURI
Keaton and his wife, Jennifer, own and manage a registered Angus cattle herd. They also own a poultry operation contracted to Tyson Foods. In 2010, they were McDonald County's Extension Farm Family of the Year. Currently, Keaton is vice-president and Young Farmer and Rancher Chair. A life-long member of Farm Bureau, he is also the Southwest Missouri FARM-PAC treasurer. Vance is a past Missouri Farm Bureau YF&R chairman and served on the American Farm Bureau Federation Deficit Reduction Task Force. The couple has three younger children.
DISTRICT 8 - MICHAEL LUERSSEN OF CABOOL, MISSOURI
Luerssen and his wife, Sandy, raise registered shorthorn beef cattle on just over 900 acres. The family bales 12,000 small and up to 600 large bales of Bermuda, alfalfa and grass hay for sale as well as their herd. Michael is currently Texas County Farm Bureau P&E chair; has served on the Missouri Farm Bureau Forestry Advisory Committee and is a Cabool School Board member. His family was active in the Illinois Farm Bureau before moving to Texas County.