Gary Sitzer

A full-time farmer for more than 45 years, Gary Sitzer has taken his love of agriculture beyond his Poinsett County farm. Sitzer has served for 38 years as an Arkansas director for Farm Credit and currently serves as Farm Credit Mid-America Director. He previously served as a member of the Arkansas Soybean Research and Promotion Board and currently serves on the Arkansas Soybean Association Board, St. Bernard’s Regional Medical Center Advisory Board and Rep. Rick Crawford’s Ag Advisory Committee.

Sitzer was elected to serve on the Poinsett County Farm Bureau board of directors in 1976. While attending Arkansas State University, he took a full class load while also working on his family’s farm in Weiner.

As chairman of the Arkansas Soybean Association, Sitzer led the launch of the soybean yield challenge, now known as “Grow for the Green,” which started with seven growers in eastern Arkansas more than 20 years ago to around 150 growers statewide today.

Sitzer also previously served on the Poinsett County Emergency Food and Shelter board. He graduated in 1988 from LeadAR, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s rural leadership development program, and his family was named Poinsett County Farm Family of the Year in 1994. He also received an Honorary Arkansas State FFA degree in 2009.

He was, along with fellow inductee George Berger, among those who conceived and organized the Arkansas Rice Festival in Weiner in 1976.