Thomas was raised on a vegetable farm on the eastern shore of Maryland. He was an active member of his FFA chapter and graduated as the valedictorian in the class of 1955. He continued his education at the University of Maryland where he graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. After graduating, Thomas served in the Air Force for 20 years. Thomas and his college sweetheart, Jackie, moved to Missouri and found raising beef cattle a pleasant and exciting extension of a lifestyle they knew and enjoyed. Thomas and his wife raised commercial cattle on their 1,400-acre farm near Madison, Missouri, for nearly 40 years.
"After surviving the 80s in agriculture, Richard has been on a mission empower people in this industry to transform challenges into opportunities,” MCA Executive Vice President Mike Deering said. "He was instrumental in starting the Monroe and Chariton-Randolph County Cattlemen’s Associations and helped drive the affiliates to be involved with the community and state association."
Thomas is a dedicated member of MCA. He has contributed time and effort to advising many people to be an active participating member of the association. He spent many of his years serving in a leadership position in some capacity including serving as a Region Vice President in 2002 and on the Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee since 2011. Thomas is widely known for his tremendous generosity to fundraising for MCA’s Political Action Committee.
"Richard is the perfect example of a great citizen, loving father, and devoted rural leader of the cattle industry," Deering said. "He is a true advocate for the beef industry."
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