Hoffman Honored At OFB Meeting

Doug Hoffman, the CEO of Wilco Farm Stores, was honored with the Oregon Farm Bureau President's Award during the 84th Oregon Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Salem last week.  The President's Award recipient is selected by the sitting OFB President to recognize an individual who contributes in extraordinary ways to Oregon agriculture, and therefore to Farm Bureau members.

"I am proud to give the OFB President's Award to Doug Hoffman," said OFB President Barry Bushue. "He has spent his entire career supporting farm and ranch families across several states and adding value to countless agricultural businesses."
Hoffman grew up on a cow/calf operation in South Dakota. He said of his youth, "I was one of nine children. We had 100 head of cows and calves and a bunch of hogs. It was a lot of hard work, and it taught me if you want things in life, you have to work for it."

Hoffman attended the University of South Dakota, receiving a business and accounting degree; married his wife Jan, with whom he raised three children; and started with Cenex, a management training program in Wilmot, SD

He quickly earned a reputation as a great business manager through a series of co-op jobs, each one bringing him further and further out west. In each case, he was known as a leader who puts others above himself.

This core value is evident in his personal service to many organizations, from the Oregon FFA Foundation and Oregonians for Food & Shelter, to ranging as far as Kenya where he is a volunteer leader in Empowering Lives International, which teaches young people the business and practice of farming and equips them for success.

"He is a man of faith, integrity, and service above self," said Bushue. "As CEO of Wilco, he has brought great value to Farm Bureau member families, great service to Oregon agriculture, and has built a brand around ag lifestyle retail stores that make a positive connection with the non-farm public."

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