Allen Scheffer

Allen Scheffer is a beekeeper from Graceville, Florida. From 2007 until 2022, Mr. Scheffer worked with the Florida Farm Bureau as a District Field Representative. In 2022, he left the Farm Bureau to pursue farming full-time. Mr. Scheffer has owned and operated Smiley B. Farms, LLC for 18 years, where he has 500 bee hives, a 50-head cattle operation, and 80 acres of perennial peanuts. Mr. Scheffer is a graduate of Troy University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business/Marketing. He serves as a Board Member for the Washington County Farm Bureau and a Board Member for the Jackson County Cattlemen's Association. Mr. Scheffer shares, "I didn't grow up on a farm, but through my involvement in FFA in High School, I always had a goal of owning my own cattle and doing some type of farming before I reached 30 years of age. Through Farm Credit's help with a line of credit, I was able to obtain this goal. Although it was a couple of years after my 30th birthday, I was able to purchase some cattle and plant my first perennial peanut for hay. Since then, I have added our bee operation and have continued to use the line of credit to enhance our operation. I have great respect for the services Farm Credit of NW FL provides to Agriculture and our rural citizens of the counties they serve. Farm Credit of NW FL understands the challenges of production agriculture, unlike most of the other lending institutions. This understanding is critical in keeping agriculture viable in our area, and I desire to make sure that these services continue for generations to come."