[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 112 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1094-E1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN RECOGNITION OF DONALD R. SMART

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARK MEADOWS

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 12, 2016

  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Donald R. Smart 
of Haywood County, North Carolina. On behalf of the people of Western 
North Carolina, I would like to thank Mr. Smart for his service to the 
farmers in Haywood County and congratulate him on his induction into 
the Western North Carolina Agriculture Hall of Fame.
  A lifelong resident of Haywood County and fifth-generation farmer, 
Mr. Smart was an

[[Page E1095]]

honor student in high school and president of the Tuscola FFA chapter. 
He graduated cum laude from North Carolina State University and 
participated in the Philip Morris Leadership Program at the University 
of Kentucky. Starting his farm in 1974 with one acre each of burley 
tobacco and trellised tomatoes, Mr. Smart and his brother have since 
expanded the farm to encompass 1,500 acres of corn, soybeans, 
vegetables, tobacco, hay, and cattle.
  While building his own successful business, Mr. Smart served as 
President of the Haywood County Farm Bureau Federation, as a State 
Executive Board Member of the N.C. Farm Bureau Federation, as Chairman 
of the N.C. Farm Bureau Burley Tobacco Committee, as Chairman of the 
Haywood County Farmland Preservation Organization, as a Board Member of 
the N.C. Tobacco Growers Association, and as an advocate for farmers at 
our state and national capitals. In the mid-2000s, Mr. Smart's 
leadership stopped the sale of the Mountain Research Station and 
secured additional acreage for this hub of agricultural research. He 
helped Haywood County establish a fairground and served on its board 
and volunteer advisory council. He has been recognized as a Philip 
Morris Outstanding Burley Tobacco Grower, a N.C. Department of 
Agriculture and Consumer Services Farmer of the Year, a Haywood County 
Outstanding Farmer, a N.C. Tomato Growers Association Outstanding 
Producer, and has received an FFA Appreciation Award for working to 
keep agriculture in high school curricula.
  Donald R. Smart has been an invaluable proponent of the agriculture 
industry in Haywood County and across our state. Mr. Smart deserves the 
highest recognition and I am honored to express the sincere 
congratulations and best wishes of the people of North Carolina on his 
induction into the Western North Carolina Agriculture Hall of Fame.

                          ____________________