The overall activities of Virginia FAIRS, and as such the Center, are under the oversight of the Board of Directors. The Board consists of 8 individuals with vast knowledge of agriculture from across the agricultural industry, including education and state agencies. The Board meets regularly and interacts with Center staff to assist in the development of projects and program delivery.

Wayne F. Pryor President

O.B. Lockhart Producer

Ed Sharer Vice President

Joe Williams Board member

Jonathan Shouse Corporate Secretary

Cecil E. Sonny Meyerhoeffer Producer

Dr. Brian Calhoun Virginia Cooperative Extension

T. Robins Buck VA Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Wayne F. Pryor : President
The President of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation is Ex Officio President of Virginia FAIRS with voting powers.

O.B. Lockhart : Producer
Was elected to the Virginia Farm Bureau Board of Directors in 1999 and is currently serving his second three-year term as board member. He operates a burley tobacco and beef cattle operation in Russell County, and is a retired school teacher. He has served on the Russell County Farm Bureau Board of Directors for the past 8 years and is currently the legislative director for the county.

Ed Scharer: Producer
Was elected to the Virginia Farm Bureau Board of Directors in 1998 and is currently serving his second three-year term as a board member. He is a beef, hog, and forage producer and has been a Farm Bureau member for 25 years. He is past president and legislative director of the Albemarle County Farm Bureau, and is a 1964 graduate of Rutgers University who has been farming in Virginia since 1973.

Joseph H. Williams: Producer
Has been a member of the Virginia Farm Bureau since 1971.  He is past president of the Pittsylvania County Farm Bureau.  He currently serves as vice chairman of the VFBF Flue-Cured Tobacco Advisory Committee.  He is a Virginia State Police Academy graduate and a member and past president of the Pittsylvania County Young Farmers’ Committee. Mr. Williams has also served on the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Rural Revitalization Commission.  A long time tobacco producer, he has recently established a vineyard on his farm in Chatham.  He is currently serving his second three-year term on the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors.  One year term.

Jonathan Shouse: Corporate Secretary
Resumé

Cecil E. Sonny Meyerhoeffer : Producer
Sonny Meyerhoeffer is the founder, majority owner and residing President of Eastern BioPlastics in Mount Crawford, VA. EBP is an innovative company that manufactures bioplastic pellets and products by blending poultry feathers with traditional plastics. Since 2008, Sonny has given leadership to the design, fabrication and setup of effective processes to make these bioplastics economical and feasible on a commercial scale.

Prior to Eastern BioPlastics, Sonny’s most influential entrepreneurial venture was the formation of the Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative (VPGC) in Hinton, VA. This Cooperative was formed in 2004 to save some 130 turkey growers and 500 jobs at a plant that processed more than 6 million turkeys a year. Sonny initiated and implemented the business plan to make this Cooperative a success. He served as the Company’s president for three years.

Dr. Brian Calhoun : Virginia Cooperative Extension
Brian Calhoun serves as an Associate Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension, having worked for the organization nearly 20 years. In his role, Calhoun oversees Extension's Community Viability programs which are dedicated to strengthening communities and their economic viability by creating innovative programs that allow citizens and local governments to respond to local issues. Community Viability faculty can assess community needs, design a plan of action, and determine the appropriate delivery method suitable for various programs.

In addition to his service on the FAIRS Board of Directors, Calhoun currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Rural Development Center, Virginia Tech's Business Technical Assistance Center, and represents Virginia Tech on Virginia's Board of Agriculture.

Calhoun is a Virginia Tech graduate, having received both his master's and Ph.D. degrees at the University. Brian and his wife, Debbie, a Registered Nurse, have two children and live in Blacksburg.

T. Robins Buck : Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
T. Robins Buck has worked for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the past 39 years. He currently serves on a variety of boards, committees and Task Forces, as a resource and/or a member. These are both internal and external to VDACS and are all functions within the expectations of his job description.

Mr. Buck currently serves as Secretary to the Virginia Aquaculture Advisory Board; he is a member of the VDACS Statewide Farmland Preservation Task Force; he served as Staff Support to the Governor’s Wine Study Work Group; he serves as a resource person to the Virginia Food and Beverage Association; he serves as advisor to the Virginia Farm Bureau Aquaculture Committee. Over the past two years, Mr. Buck has worked directly on a feasibility study looking at building a producer- owned meat processing facility in Central Virginia and is currently involved with producers and producer groups looking into a variety of agricultural value-added opportunities.

Dr. Jim Jones : Retired Director of Southern Piedmont Research Station