American Farm Bureau's Dale Moore hangs up his hat

He is a small town Plains cowboy done good, but now, after years working in Washington, the American Farm Bureau‘s Executive Vice President is ready to hang up his hat.

Dale Moore grew up on the family ranch in Southwest Kansas, in the small town of Copland, then attended Fort Hays State University, which included time on the school’s rodeo team. After graduation, he took a job with the Kansas Pork Producer’s Council, but life and love took this Kansas cowboy East by a long shot. Moore went to work for then Kansas Congressman Pat Roberts as his righthand man on ag.

“Giving advice and counsel to everybody on every ag committee that I’ve ever known - I mean, he’s the go-to guy if you want answers to farm program problems and he’ll find a way to do it, and he’ll make you think that you thought of it so that you get the credit.”

After working on Capitol Hill for more than a dozen years, his career path led to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, then across the Washington Mall at USDA. That is where he served as the Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Agriculture, or rather, secretaries of agriculture - all four of them, who served during the Bush Administration’s eight-year term. As a testament to his wisdom and the experiences he gained, Moore tells AgriPulse he has been blessed, saying, “I never get rid of old bosses. I just add new ones.” That eventually included the folks at the American Farm Bureau Federation. He joined the team in 2011 as the Deputy Executive Director for Public Policy, then took over AFBF operations as the Executive Vice President in 2018.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall says, “Dale, thank you. Again, from the bottom of my heart, for not only what you’ve done for American Farm Bureau, but what you’ve done for the American farmer and rancher across this county, and what you’ve done for me, your friend, Zippy Duvall. Thank you, my friend, and God Bless you.”

From working on the 1996 Farm Bill, to managing communications about “the cow that stole Christmas,” which was the first U.S. case of BSE in 2003, Moore has spent four decades working as an agriculture leader in Washington. As he steps into retirement from the nation’s largest farm organization, he leaves a wealth of knowledge and experience in his wake. As for what happens next, while he will miss his time serving the nation’s farmers and ranchers, he looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Faith, and the rest of their family, including four precious grandkids.

Moore helped with the selection process to fill his leadership role. AFBF has named Joby Young to that position, a former Chief of Staff within USDA and Congress.