Franklin County Farmers Federation member Charles Ezzell has once again been honored for his contributions in the field of agriculture. Ezzell received the Senior Leader Award from the Alabama Farmers Federation during an awards ceremony Dec. 3.

Ezzell has served on the county Federation Board of Directors for 42 years, including 24 years as the organization’s president. In 2016 he received the Agricultural Lifetime Achievement Award and was named Farmer of the Year by the Franklin County Farm-City Committee.

The Senior Leader Award is reserved for individuals who are over 70 years old and have served as a county Farmers Federation president, State Women’s Leadership Committee chair or Federation State Board member. Ezzell received the award during the second general session of the Federation’s 97th Annual Meeting in Montgomery, which drew more than 1,200 attendees to the Capital City.

Also as part of the Annual Meeting, attendees heard from former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, as keynote speaker. Gov. Kay Ivey also spoke, encouraging those gathered to remember that they “have a friend in the governor’s chair,” Ivey said. “After all, we are only successful when we’re successful together.”

The event also included other speakers, awards and Federation business.