Gary Cross of Southampton County was elected Nov. 29 to a three-year term on the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation board of directors.

Elections of officers and directors were held during the VFBF 2023 Annual Meeting of Voting Delegates in Virginia Beach.

As a board member, Cross will represent Farm Bureau producer members in Charles City, Dinwiddie, Greensville, James City, New Kent, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, Sussex and York counties.

He succeeds M.L. Everett Jr. of Southampton County, who did not seek re-election.

Cross has served as the Southampton County Farm Bureau president for 15 years. He also has been involved with the VFBF peanut and cotton advisory committees.

Additionally, Cross and other Southampton Farm Bureau leaders were recognized with a 2022 VFBF County Award of Excellence for their effort to expand Southampton’s enhanced 911 emergency system database to include farms, barns and fields.

Cross also chairs the Chowan Basin Soil and Water Conservation District board and is a member of Black Creek Baptist Church.

He and his wife, Marguerite, grow cotton, peanuts, corn, wheat and soybeans on their 1,100-acre farm. They have two children, Taylor and Lane.


With almost 135,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farmers’ advocacy group. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization committed to supporting Virginia’s agriculture industry.

Contact Pam Wiley, vice president of communications, at 804-291-6315.