Arkansas Producer Elected Chairman of Cattlemen's Beef Board

Cattle producer Tom Jones from Pottsville, Ark. was recently named chairman of Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB).

Elected during the 2011 Cattle Industry Annual Convention in Denver, Jones is no stranger to the cattle business. He bought his first calf at the age of 12. As third generation on the farm, he has spent much of his time in the row crop business along with cattle, and his family also was in the poultry business with Tyson Foods for nine years.

For the last few years, the Jones family has been more concentrated on the stocker segment of the industry, but they are now transitioning back to cow-calf and hay production.

Jones holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural business from Arkansas Tech University, with a minor in economics.

Among his many contributions to the industry, Jones is currently serving his eighth year on the board of the Arkansas Farm Bureau; his second term as secretary/treasurer of the Arkansas Farm Bureau board; and is immediate past vice chairman of the CBB.

In addition, Jones spent five years on the local school board; serves on Arkansas Tech's advisory board for the Department of Agriculture; served as president of Arkansas Tech's alumni association; was appointed this year to serve on the American Farm Bureau beef advisory committee; was a member of the Arkansas Soybean Association for several years; and helped enact the national soybean checkoff.

Jones's wife, Jayne, is the VP of development at Arkansas Tech. They have two children: son Jayson, an Arkansas state trooper, and daughter Laura Katelyn, a junior at Kansas State University.