January 7, 2000

Districts 1, 3, and 11 elected new representatives to the Texas Farm Bureau board of directors at the convention in Corpus Christi.

District 1 tapped Ralph Detten of Hereford to replace outgoing District 1 Director David Noble of Dalhart. Detten farms 1,760 acres in Deaf Smith County with his sons, Dennis and Douglas Detten. Principle crops on the irrigated acreage include corn, grain sorghum, wheat and cotton.

A native of Panhandle in Carson County where he graduated from high school in 1953, Detten attended seminary in Scranton, Penn. and Chicago, Ill. in 1955-1956. He returned to Carson County, where he served on the local Farm Bureau board of directors from 1966-1975, in the capacity of secretary and president. From 1978-1995, he was a member of the Deaf Smith County FB board, again serving as secretary and president.

Detten served on the board of St. Anthony's Catholic School from 1977-1981 and again from 1985-1989. Other offices held by Detten include a two-year term on the board of directors for Deaf Smith General Hospital from 1986-1990—two of those years as president. He also served 11 years on the Panhandle Wheat Grower Board.

Detten is married to the former Judy Zinser of Hereford. In addition to their sons, the Dettens have two daughters, Denise and Diana, and five grandchildren.

Steve Cochran of Aspermont is the new District 3 director. He raises wheat, cattle, horses and Spanish goats in Stonewall County. Cochran replaces retiring District 3 Director L.C. Harrison of Wichita Falls.

A 1958 graduate of Aspermont High, Cochran went on to obtain his B.A. in 1965, and a Masters Degree in Agriculture Education, in 1972, from Texas Tech University.

Cochran served Stonewall, Taylor, Fisher, Nolan and Scurry counties as a field representative for the Texas Farm Bureau from 1974 until 1991, when he became the organization’s field operations director. He served in that capacity until Dec. 31, 1995.

From 1996-1997, Cochran served as vice president of the Stonewall-Kent County Farm Bureau and as president from 1998-1999.

He is a member of the Aspermont Masonic Lodge, and served on the Aspermont I.S.D. board.

Cochran is married to the former Muriel Wistoski of Everson, Wash. They have two daughters, Kathy Lisenbee of Jayton and Karen Smith of San Saba. The Cochrans have one granddaughter.

Robert E. (Bob) Reed of Bay City was elected state director for District 11. Reed replaces fellow rice farmer Curt Mowery of Rosharon.

A 1972 graduate of Carthage High School who received a B.S. degree in mechanized agriculture from Texas A&M University in 1976, Reed has served on the Matagorda County FB board since 1979. Past assignments include stints on the State Swine Advisory committee and the State Resolutions committee.

The new District 11 director has served as president, vice president, and treasurer of the Matagorda County Farmers Co-op and currently serves as the swine committee chairman, and on the rules committee, for the Matagorda County Fair Association.

Reed was named "Father of the Year" by the Bay City FFA, and he was a Texas Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher district winner.