WASHINGTON — Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and former Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill are the recipients of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2024 Distinguished Service Award and Farm Bureau Founders Award, respectively. The DSA and Founders Award are the highest honors presented by AFBF. Lucas and Hill will be recognized during the 2024 American Farm Bureau Convention, Jan. 17-24, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
AFBF established the Distinguished Service Award in 1928 to honor individuals who have devoted their careers to serving the national interest of American agriculture. First presented in January 2017, AFBF’s Founders Award for exemplary leadership, service or contributions to Farm Bureau is presented in recognition of outstanding achievements and work in the interest of Farm Bureau.
Lucas was nominated by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau for the DSA. Hill was nominated by the Iowa Farm Bureau for the Founders Award. A national Farm Bureau committee selected each of the winners.
Lucas is a fifth-generation Oklahoman and farmer who has been a defender of agriculture for more than 40 years. With a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University, he successfully brought the perspective of the American farmer with him to Capitol Hill. Elected to Congress in 1994, he is recognized as the longest-serving member on the House Agriculture Committee and served as chairman of the committee from 2011 to 2015, playing an instrumental role in the 2014 farm bill. Prior to serving in Congress, Lucas served in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives where he focused on prominent agriculture issues.
Lucas commended AFBF for the important role the organization plays in informing farmers about congressional happenings and making sure they can voice their opinions and needs. A lifelong Farm Bureau member, Lucas shared what receiving this award means to him.
Hill is the longest-serving member of the Iowa Farm Bureau board of directors, serving for 32 years before retiring as president in December 2021. During his tenure, he traveled throughout Iowa, the U.S. and internationally, visiting 23 countries on trade and diplomacy missions. His experience included sharing information about agriculture with government officials, including six U.S. presidents, and farmers on many continents.
Throughout his time at Iowa Farm Bureau, Hill carried members’ voices into his conversations with trade officials, lawmakers and the media, sharing the impact trade policies and lack of markets have on family farms. A notable example of Hill’s work is his role in helping to create the Revenue Assurance program, which provides protection to farmers against revenue losses due to low prices and/or low yields. In 1996, this policy was written into the farm bill and continues to be the most popular form of crop insurance used by farmers.
Hill was also a prominent voice in Farm Bureau’s 2017 campaign for a new Waters of the U.S. rule. He met with Environmental Protection Agency officials, participated in roundtable discussions and provided testimony to Congress about how a new WOTUS would negatively impact farmers in Iowa and across the country.
Although Hill’s list of accomplishments and awards is long, he remains firm in saying his family has been his greatest joy and source of pride. He and his wife, Patti, have been farming since 1978, raising row crops and pigs. They have two children, Abbie, an attorney, and Adam, who they farm alongside today. Both are married and have blessed the Hills with wonderful grandchildren.
