Plant Board OKs hire of ex-official to direct state agriculture panel

Former state Agriculture Secretary V.O. “Butch” Calhoun
Former state Agriculture Secretary V.O. “Butch” Calhoun

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the state Plant Board on Friday agreed on the hiring of former state Agriculture Secretary V.O. "Butch" Calhoun as its new director, replacing Terry Walker, who retired this week.

The Plant Board, after a 40-minute executive session closed to the public because it was a personnel matter, voted unanimously to recommend Calhoun and set an Aug. 13 date for him to start. The governor's office announced Hutchinson's approval a couple of hours later.

Calhoun's hiring wasn't unexpected: Hutchinson had approached Calhoun about the job before Walker's announcement. No other candidate was considered.

The Plant Board is a division of the Arkansas Agriculture Department, which was created in 2005 and led by Calhoun as its second secretary of agriculture, from 2012 to 2016. He was appointed by Gov. Mike Beebe.

Walker, 70, announced his retirement Tuesday morning during a brief meeting with Plant Board staff. He said later that nothing specific led to his decision.

Calhoun, 67, said later that morning that Hutchinson approached him 10-14 days earlier about the job.

Calhoun said after Friday's vote he offered no major changes or new ideas when the board talked to him in executive session. "I gave them a little background and told them I understood the role of the Plant Board and its importance to Arkansas agriculture," he said.

Hutchinson has proposed a reorganization of the department and Plant Board, which has had 101 years to build a constituency with generations of farmers. A reorganization effort in 2017 failed in the Arkansas General Assembly after the Arkansas Farm Bureau opposed it.

"The Plant Board didn't like a lot of what was in that bill," Calhoun said. "And I don't think the part they didn't like is going to be in the new effort."

Wes Ward, who succeeded Calhoun as agriculture secretary, said Calhoun has helped him numerous times in his three years on the job. "Butch is someone the agriculture industry knows very well," Ward said. "He knows Arkansas agriculture, the Plant Board and its members and their work."

Calhoun also served five terms as county judge in Prairie County and four terms in the state House of Representatives. He also served as director of the state Department of Rural Services under Beebe before becoming agriculture secretary.

As agriculture secretary, Calhoun received high marks from legislators and farmers for his work in helping draft legislation dealing with the aftermath of the collapse of Turner Grain Merchandising Inc. The Brinkley grain dealer closed in August 2014 and filed for bankruptcy while owing farmers millions of dollars for grain.

The legislation that was eventually approved required grain dealers such as Turner to be licensed by the state and set financial requirements, bonding and insurance for those companies.

Walker first joined the Plant Board as director of plant industry in 2002. He was named director of the full board in February 2016 after serving about 12 years as assistant director. His salary was $108,109, according to state government's transparency website.

Business on 07/28/2018

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