"I have always had an affection for ranching and farming, and I've never intended to do anything else." <BR><I>Bob Levy, State Board of Agriculture chairman</I>

The State Board of Agriculture has named Bob Levy of Echo as chairman.

The 10-member board elected Levy at its quarterly meeting in May. He replaced Ken Bailey, a cherry grower from The Dalles.

Bruce Pokarney, communications director for the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said as chair, Levy sets the meeting agenda.

Board members, appointed by the governor, may be re-appointed for a second term. Levy is serving his second four-year term. It expires July 14, 2012.

Like many folks in ag, Levy knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life from a young age.

“I have always had an affection for ranching and farming, and I’ve never intended to do anything else,” he said.

That affection has culminated in a trio of separate Eastern Oregon farming and ranching operations. In many ways, Levy typifies the drive and determination of the Oregon farmer to succeed as a producer. He is doing what he can to ensure success for all of Oregon agriculture, especially east of the Cascades.

It’s never easy to make a living in a land where water is so precious a commodity.

“There have been some very difficult times in the irrigated farming business over the past 30 years,” Levy said. “Swings in economic conditions, controversy over water, and endangered species issues have given me a broad perspective on agriculture’s relationship to our environment.”

The Levy family has been an agricultural mainstay in the Columbia Basin. Bob and his son, Bill, are partners in Windy River Land Co., an irrigated farming operation in the Hermiston-Boardman area. The company leases farmland the Levys own that produces green peas, lima beans, grass seed, corn, asparagus, alfalfa, mint, and wheat, among other crops.

Bob also is president of American Onion Inc., which grows and packs onions in the area. The sweet onions are marketed nationally and internationally.

Third, Levy assists in the daily management of Cunningham Sheep, a closely held family corporation based in Pendleton that produces wheat, cattle, sheep, and timber.

“Mine is the third generation that is actively involved in management of the business,” Levy said.

Born and raised on a farm near Pendleton, Levy graduated from Oregon State University with a master’s degree in agricultural economics. He worked as a field representative for potato processor Lamb Weston, but eventually found his way back to the day-to-day job of farming.

When the potato market changed for the worse, Levy began to diversify.

“My family background and education prepared me to farm and that is always what I wanted to do,” he said.

With four grown children and a wife, Barbara “Bobby,” who’s a member of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, Levy has taken his time and talent statewide. Appointed to Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s transition team, Levy provided a voice for agriculture as the newly elected governor developed strategies and positions. He has added that voice to the Board of Agriculture.

“It is an honor and privilege to serve in an organization that has the best interest of Oregon agriculture at heart,” Levy said when he was appointed to the board. “The natural resource industries are the most important industries in the state. The economic well-being of forestry and agriculture are the keys to the long-term success of our land-use system, health of our rural communities, protection of the environment, and reestablishment of healthy streams. Policy set by the Board of Agriculture will help the state achieve long-term sustainability in what is important to the citizens of Oregon.”