NFU Delegates Reelect Larew, Kippley to Leadership Posts

Leadership continuity signals a steady focus on family farm advocacy.

A female pig farmer with dirty boots is photographed from the waist up, straddling a pig pen fence, with a white bucket of slop on the ground beside her, sitting on a bed of hay. A little girl is standing on the other side of the white bucket.

FarmHER Jen Welch (Season 1, Episode 2)

FarmHER, Inc.

NEW ORLEANS, La. (RFD NEWS) — Delegates to the National Farmers Union’s 124th Anniversary Convention here unanimously reelected Rob Larew as president and Jeff Kippley as vice president, extending both leaders’ terms for another two years.

Larew, who farms in West Virginia, begins his fourth term leading NFU after focusing the organization on member engagement and policy advocacy during his tenure. His leadership has included expanding outreach to younger producers and advancing the Fairness for Farmers campaign to address consolidation concerns across agriculture.

Kippley, a South Dakota producer who raises cattle, corn, and soybeans, enters his third term as vice president while continuing to operate a tax business serving family farms in his region.

For producers, leadership continuity signals a continued emphasis on family farm policy priorities, including competition, market access, and rural advocacy, as federal farm policy discussions intensify.

Looking ahead, NFU leadership is expected to remain active in Washington as lawmakers continue work on farm policy, trade issues, and input cost pressures facing producers nationwide.

Related Stories
Jael Cruikshank, the newly elected Western Region Vice President, shares her story on this week’s FFA Today.
Farm legal expert Roger McEowen reviews the history of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and outlines how shifting definitions across multiple administrations have created regulatory confusion for landowners.
Leslee Oden, president of the National Turkey Federation, and Jay Jandrain, CEO of Butterball, joined us in the studio on Monday to discuss the history, significance, and expectations surrounding this year’s presidential turkey pardon.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) estimates that the move will save farmers and ranchers $2.5 billion each year. The group warns that new methods for calculating the adverse-effect wage rate would result in lower pay for foreign workers.
These “USDA Foods” are provided to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) nutrition assistance programs, including food banks that operate The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and are a vital component of the nation’s food safety net.
Tyson’s closure reflects deep supply shortages in the U.S. cattle industry, tightening packing capacity, weakening competition, and signaling more volatility ahead for cow-calf producers and feedyards.

Tony St. James joined the RFD-TV talent team in August 2024, bringing a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to RFD-TV and Rural Radio Channel 147 Sirius XM. In addition to his role as Market Specialist (collaborating with Scott “The Cow Guy” Shellady to provide radio and TV audiences with the latest updates on ag commodity markets), he hosts “Rural America Live” and serves as talent for trade shows.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Record output, larger stocks, and softer exports point to a well-supplied domestic ethanol market as harvest progresses.
The Court may limit emergency tariff powers, complicating a key bargaining tool; ag could see shifts in input costs and export dynamics as China, Brazil, and India talks evolve.
U.S. sugar producers and processors should brace for price pressure and challenging export logistics with global sugar supply ramping up — driven by Brazil, India, and Thailand — especially at the raw processing level.
The Farm Bureau urges trade enforcement, biofuel growth, fair input pricing, and pro-farmer policy reforms to restore long-term certainty.
The Sheinbaum–Rollins meeting signals progress, but the focus remains on fully containing screwworm before cross-border movement resumes.
Livestock profits are propping up overall sentiment, but crop producers remain cautious amid tight margins and uncertain policy signals.