J. Barry Bates

Board of Directors, District 12

Counties: Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, Mathews, King and Queen, King William, Middlesex, Northumberland, Lancaster, Richmond and Westmoreland

Essex County cattle and grain producer J. Barry Bates of Tappahannock was elected to a s second three-year term on the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation board of directors in November 2022.

He has been a Farm Bureau member for 23 years, chairs the VFBF Soybean & Feed Grains Advisory Committee and serves on the VFBF Livestock Advisory Committee.

Bates also is a past Essex County Farm Bureau president and current member of that organization’s board. Additionally, he serves on the Essex County Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Committee and Essex County Airport Authority. He is a member of the Northern Neck Land Conservancy board.

Bates and his family reside on Mount View Farm, where they raise black Angus beef cattle and grow hay for their herd.

He and his wife, Suzanne, are members of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. They have two children.