Pam Harnden, Chair

Pam is currently Chairman of the Soil & Water Conservation District’s Board of Supervisors and has served on the Board since 1996. She is very education oriented and has volunteered at Ag Day at the Fair for many years. Pam and her family operate a diversified farm in East Wilton with “Pick Your Own”apples and flowers as well as a small store, The Harvest Hutch, where they sell this produce, along with mixed vegetables. She also, provides tours of the family’s orchards to schools, commodity groups, and area organizations. Pam is the President of the Franklin County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and the CO-Chairman of its Women’s/Ag Education Committee as well as the Vice President of Franklin County Cooperative Extension’s Executive Board and serves as a Director of the Maine Vegetable & Small Fruit Growers Association.

L. Herbert "Bussie" York, Vice Chair

"Bussie", is currently Vice-Chairman of the Soil & Water Conservation District’s Board of Super-visors and has served on the Board since 1970. Bussie & wife, Brenda, own & operate the 1,500 acres that make up the Sandy River Farms. He also served at the state level, MACD & Conservation Commission, for 10 plus years in various positions including president as well as on the national, NACD, level. Bussie has or is serving on: the Farmington: planning board & budget committees, Grange #122 , and Farmer’s Union as well as the Franklin County: 4-H beef foundation committee leader and leader for the tractor club; Extension Association; Leaders Association; Farm Service Agency; and Farm Bureau, not to mention the Western Mountains Alliance. Statewide he served on the: Dairy Show committee, Dairyman Assoc., Bean Growers Assoc., Maple Producers Assoc., Farm Bureau, Milking Shorthorn Assoc., etc.

Bruce Tracy, Secretary

Bruce is currently secretary of the Soil & Water Conservation District’s Board of Supervisors and has served on the Board since 1992. He has been an active member of the 4-H Swine Club, Beef & Tractor Club, Assistant 4-H leader of both the Swine Club and the Sue-Sue Club as well as serving on the Farmington Budget Committee. At the state level, Bruce served on the Maine: Maple Producers Assoc., Angus Assoc., and Beef Assoc. He also served on the New England and the National Angus Association.

Thayden Farrington

Thayden has been on the Soil & Water Conservation District’s Board of Supervisors since 1980. Thayden is the owner and operator of his 183 acre family farm, “Thayben Farm, Inc.” His farm was one of the first in Franklin County to initiate an improved pasture grazing system. However, he has had some really bad luck in that his barn burned and had to be rebuilt in 1992, 1994, and 1996. Thayden transformed his dairy farm to an organic operation in 2002. Thayden has been a very active member of the local grange. He has served on the state youth grange committee, the state grange Ag committee, mast of the subordinate grange, Franklin County Excelsior Pomona, past president of the Extension Association, a member of the Masons, 16 years on the Eastern Sire Committee, an assistant 4-H Club Leader, and the MACD Budget committee.

Linton Robinson

Linton has been an Associate Supervisor since 1992. He owns and operates the 268 acre LDR Farm, in Chesterville, Jay, & Perkins Plantation. Linton worked on his father’s farm and lumbering business for several years before starting his own beef herd and forest harvesting business. Linton and his wife Diane have 3 grown sons. He is active with both the Franklin County Farm Bureau past president and vice president and the State Forestry committee. Linton is on the Chesterville Planning Board and has been a member of the Maine Beef Producers Feeder Calf Sales since 1988. He received the Woodland Conservation Award in 1988.

Henry Hardy

Henry with his wife, Teresa and three children milk 40 head of registered Ayrshires twice a day on their organic dairy farm. He works in the woods doing selective cutting during the winter and makes maple syrup in the spring. Henry is currently the treasurer of the Franklin County Farm Bureau, the president of the New England and the Maine State Ahrshire Clubs and a Franklin County 4-H Dairy Club leader. He is also a past-president of Franklin County Extension Executive Board and has taught a tractor safety course for many year.

Robert "Bob" Leso

Bob graduated from the University of Maine - Orono in 1964 with a B S. in Forestry. After working in the Peace Corps for 3 years in Peru and serving in the U. S. Army for 2 years, he went to work for the Maine Forest Service as a Service Forester. He worked primarily in Franklin and Somerset Counties advising non-industrial private landowners. He retired in 2006. Bob and his wife, Mimi, are members of the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM) and have their woodland, in New Sharon and Chesterville, enrolled in the Tree Farm Program. They have 2 sons and 2 grandsons. They also have 4 cats. He was appointed to the position of Associate Supervisor with the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District in 2007. Bob is a member of the Chesterville Planning Board and the Maine Tree Farm Committee.

Jeff Harris

Jeff joined the FCSWCD Board as an Associate Supervisor in 2002. Jeff is the operator and part-owner of the 400 acre hay, corn, pasture and forest land “Harris Farm” in New Sharon. He raises replacement heifers but still manages to find time to be involved with his children’s activities. When ever he gets a chance, Jeff works his father providing auctioning services.

Rupert Pratt

Rupert Pratt, a farmer from Strong, has been on the Farm Service Agency’s County Committee for many years. He is very active in the Franklin County Agricultural Society that is instrumental in hosting the annual Farmington Fair.

Ray Buck

Ray Buck, a farmer from Chesterville, came to the FCSWCD Board of Trustees, in 2009 with a host of agricultural experience.

Bill Berry

University of Maine, Farmington Professor Emeritus Archie W. Berry Jr., widely known as "Bill," is a distinguished geologist, western Maine community supporter and generous philanthropist -- deeply committed to promoting economic and community development by funding investments that leverage additional support and build capacity. In 2003, Berry and other members of his family undertook a project to bring a very significant benefit to the community that he has called home since 1970 -- the purchase of Saddleback Ski Resort, with the intention of promoting economic development in western Maine, and ensuring the continuation of skiing for future generations. Bill has generously supported the University of Maine at Farmington by establishing UMF's first endowed chair (in geology) and other important campus campaigns. He earned a B.S. in civil engineering from Lehigh University in 1955, a M.S.T. in biology-geology from Colby College in 1966, and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Kansas in 1970. He joined the UMF faculty in 1970 and became full professor in 1975, retiring in 1996.

Fred Hardy

Fred Hardy was on the Board of Supervisors for 17 years, and is now an associate supervisor. He served as chair from 1992 to 2000. He owns a farm in New Sharon where he and his wife and family settled in 1960. He has lived on a dairy farm his entire life and was raised on his grandfather's farm on Perham Hill, Farmington. Then, he moved to a small farm his father purchased in East Wilton.

He was employed at Farmington Shoe co., from 1960 to 1977, 12 years as a foreman. He continued in the dairy business until 1992 when he sold the cows to his oldest son Earl. He has served on many boards. In 1992, he was elected to the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, where he served as chair for 10 years, and still continues to serve. He serves on the board of directors of the Greater Franklin Development Corp.