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Lisa Hinton
Woman of the Year in Agriculture
Lisa Hinton was born in Trilby, Florida, and grew up as a fifth-generation Florida farming family on a seed harvesting and cow-calf operation. She spent her summers working in the family seed barn and, once she became old enough, driving a combine.
When the National FFA Organization voted to allow female membership in 1970, a young Lisa jumped at the opportunity to join. She became the first female to be elected a State FFA officer in Florida. She became one of the first of three females to be a national FFA officer candidate and one of the first of four females to receive the American Farmer Degree, FFA’s highest honor.
Lisa took the experiences and knowledge she gained in FFA and headed for the University of Florida, where she graduated with a B.S. in agricultural education. After graduation, Lisa taught high school and middle school for three years.
Soon after, she was presented with the opportunity to impact the agriculture industry on a broader scale by becoming director of agribusiness for the Florida State Fair. She saw a need for a change within the livestock program at the fair and realized the potential for youth exhibitors to gain more than a check at the end of a sale. She placed a high priority on livestock education and her philosophy of “we’re raising kids, not animals” led to the development of the Champion Youth Program at the Florida State Fair. The program has gained national recognition as a valuable teaching tool for the future contributors to the agriculture industry. Lisa also played a role in developing and implementing the Youth Steer Futurity, Ag-Venture and the Youth Livestock Show Ethics Certifications.
After her retirement from the Florida State Fair, Lisa seized an opportunity to promote agricultural education on a state and national level by serving as the executive director of the Florida Federation of Fairs. In this role, Lisa is able to impact the direction of 52 agricultural fairs in Florida as well as over 200 associate members. Millions of guests from all across the globe visit Florida’s agricultural fairs each year, and for many of them it is the only time they get to see, touch, smell, taste and hear Florida agriculture. These events truly are a vital connection between the industry and the general public, and Lisa is making great strides to maintain and improve this connection in the state of Florida.
Lisa was inducted into the Florida 4-H Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Florida Federation of Fairs Hall of Fame in 2009. It is impossible to quantify the number of young agriculturists Lisa has impacted directly and indirectly in her work. The educational programs she has implemented and the individuals she has inspired will have a lasting impact on Florida agriculture for generations to come.
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