He gets things done Tom Hill back with Farm Bureau for a second run

Tom Hill (left) reviews a copy of the Indian River Citrus BMP manual with IFAS’s Jack Hebb Jr.

Tom Hill is a very patient man. The very first day that he attended Carson-Newman College in 1969, he met his future wife, Diana. One year later, he finally asked her out on a date. The following year Tom and Diana were married, and two daughters and one grandson later, the couple is still going strong.
“Farm Bureau is a family-oriented company and the best one I’ve ever worked for,” says Hill. Maybe that’s why he chose to return to Farm Bureau two years ago, after spending just under a dozen years working in a family business.
After graduation from the Jefferson City, Tenn. college in 1971, Hill spent six years with the Firestone Tire Company. He worked in 13 separate stores located in three southeast states.
In 1977, he was first employed by Florida Farm Bureau in its Bestmark retail store in Gainesville. In 1984, Hill switched gears and relocated to Sebring where he operated as a Florida Farm Bureau fieldman. He left Farm Bureau in 1987 to help plant a citrus grove on family land.For the next 11 years, Hill managed an abstract and title company during the day and worked the family citrus groves at night and on the weekends. He made the decision to seek new outside employment in 1998 when “God intervened.”
“I had applied for a job and asked Dennis Emerson (his former Farm Bureau supervisor) to give me a recommendation. Dennis called and told me that my old fieldman position was vacant and asked if I was interested. I told him I was and subsequently was hired. I figured it must have been God working,” says Hill.
Hill began his second tenure with Florida Farm Bureau in the summer of 1998 and his district covers a six-county area that includes Brevard, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Osceola and St. Lucie counties.
In addition to working with the leadership of the county Farm Bureaus, Hill often finds himself attending several outside meetings where he represents Farm Bureau, but doesn’t necessarily act as a spokesman. “I listen, learn and report,” says Hill.
One county Farm Bureau leader who appreciates the contributions that Hill makes is Martin County Farm Bureau President Eric Nissen.
“Tom is not afraid to go to work for you,” proclaims Nissen. “He has really helped me learn the ‘ins and outs’ of Farm Bureau. He has kept us on track and made my job easier. Tom is good for Farm Bureau.”
One of Hill’s priorities has been the promotion of the Ag in the Classroom program.
“Since many high schools in coastal counties are phasing out ag courses, it has become even more important to push Ag in the Classroom. I have been working with teachers in my district to do just that,” states Hill.
One of Farm Bureau’s strengths, according to Hill, is the fact that it represents all of agriculture. “You need commodity groups to champion certain issues,” Hill says. “But since Farm Bureau deals with a multitude of issues we find ourselves interacting more often with decision makers than we would if we were only dealing with a few issues.”
Perhaps Martin County’s Nissen offers the best explanation of Hill’s value to agriculture and the Farm Bureau members in his district: “Tom is very willing to go out of his way to make sure things get accomplished. He participates,” declares Nissen.