Cultivating Tomorrow: Alachua County Farm Bureau President Richard Feagle
May 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter
Richard Feagle was elected as president of Alachua County Farm Bureau in January of this year after nearly a decade of serving on the county’s board of directors. Feagle grew up jointly in Crystal River and Archer with his parents, he spent summers working in watermelon fields in Alachua County and developed a love for agriculture.
Today, Feagle and his wife, Cecile, own and operate Simmons Cattle Company in Archer, an operation they inherited from Cecile’s parents. The have two sons, Justin and Ryan and five grandchildren.
Feagle’s main business is Archer Automotive, a vehicle repair shop in Archer that specializes in diesel, but is a general repair facility of all makes and models.
In the fall of 2019, Alachua County Farm Bureau hosted the Inaugural Food and Agriculture Festival at the Cade Museum in Gainesville. Due to restrictions in place regarding the coronavirus, the 2020 festival was canceled. However, ACFB plans to host the second annual event on November 20, 2021.
“There were roughly 1,500 people attend the inaugural event and had over 20 vendors,” Feagle said. “The goal of the event is to bring awareness to people of where their food comes from and engaging them on the benefits of locally grown food.”
Every Tuesday morning on WCJB-TV 20, ACFB hosts an Ag Fact segment. “Our Board Secretary, Brittany Lee, does a really great job cultivating an interest to consumers about agriculture,” he mentioned. “There’s always something interesting and new to learn about.”
