AAC
Tommy Young L
PROFILE
AAC board welcomes Jackson County JP
ife moves fast for Jackson County Justice of the Peace Tommy Young. “My on sign is never off,” Young said. But, he doesn’t complain. He relishes opportunities to serve through the quorum court, whether that means he’s installing lampposts in a park or working to fund a jail “It’s humbling for me to be able to have a role that people depend on you to manage their hard earned tax dollars,” he said. Young recently added another venture to his list: serving on the Association of Arkansas Counties’ (AAC) Board of Directors. The Arkansas Association of Quorum Courts’ 12-Member Executive Board elected Young to the AAC board during its semi-annual meeting on April 19. “For me to be able to go to Little Rock, Arkansas, and be able to be elected from a local level to serve at the state level on the AAC Executive Board, I feel really, really humbled,” he said. He hopes to contribute to the board by first being “a good listener.” “I also want to understand the intricate operations of the AAC and be able to help make certain the AAC is being managed in a way that is financially sound.” His expertise in finances and his desire for “things to be done the right way” has landed him in many leadership roles. “It seems like I’ve always rose to the role of being a leader,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of good teachers, instructors and role models that I’ve always tried to please.” He was nominated by the Riceland Foods board and appointed by former governors Mike Huckabee and Mike Beebe, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson, to serve on the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board, on which he’s sat for
COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2019
12 years. During this time, he served as chairman for two terms. He serves as chairman of the advisory board of the U.S. Grains Counsel and the Jackson County Extension Council, and has served as president of the Jackson County Farm Bureau Board. He also serves on the nominating committee of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, and is the founding chairman and president of the Trails to Tuckerman Historical Society. Young was re-elected to the Jackson County Quorum Court for his sixth term this year, and serves as chairman of the budget committee and vice chair of the jail committee. Young praises his fellow justices of the peace for always making sure “everything is correct and right.” “It’s not hard to be a part of the quorum court when you have such good people sitting around the table with you,” he said. “We have such good quorum court members from their districts that don’t put self interest ahead of their constituents.” As a practiced public servant, Young has seen Jackson County tackle many arduous projects. One that he can hang his hat on is the passing of a sales tax increase to fund a “first-class” jail that can hold 117 inmates. “I’m just glad I’m a part of it,” he said. “All the people involved worked together so well and made this come to pass.” Before serving on any committee, Young only knew farm life in Tuckerman, where’s he’s lived for 55 years. By the fourth grade, he was already assisting his brother as the ‘seed man” on his family’s farm. His parents, Eva and James Young, Sr., began farming in the foothills around
Charlotte, after getting married in 1939. They then moved to Jackson County and began farming a piece of property. His two older brothers — James Jr. and Ronald — farmed with their father until he retired in 1982. Young joined their operation after graduating from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with a bachelor’s degree in management. Today, Young is a farming partner and irrigation dealer with his brothers and two nephews, Blake and Jim Young III. Young’s Generation Three Partnership Farms produces more than 1,400 acres of rice and corn, 2,500 acres of seed wheat and 3,800 acres of seed soybeans. The most rewarding aspect of the farm business is working with his family, who all live on the same street in Tuckerman. “I enjoy working with my family, brothers and nephews, and having them close by every day and to be able to go through life with them,” Young said. The Young’s business has been recognized over the years. They were chosen as Jackson County Farm Family of the Year about 18 years ago, and they were chosen for the honor again this year. In their free time, Young and his wife of 32 years, Amy, love spending time with their family at Greer’s Ferry Lake. They are also blessed to raise their nieces and nephews, Haley, Cody and Andrew Shoffner. 29
