Background: Joe Paxton has been a cooperative member since 1973. Joe graduated from Greenfield-Central High School and attended Purdue University. He is self-employed as a farmer-owner-operator of Paxton Enterprises which helps manage 3,000 acres of farmland. He is currently a member and on the Board of Directors for Farm Bureau Incorporated and is on the Hancock County committee of Farm Service Agency. He is also a member of Eden United Methodist Church.  Joe and his wife Patty have two grown children, Michelle Hasty and Joe Paul Paxton and four grandchildren.

Candidate Statement: Over the past 19 years, I have had the privilege to represent our cooperative.  I take great pride in representing my community as a director.  In my tenure, I have seen two outstanding cooperatives merge into one nationally recognized organization.  NineStar’s future is bright because of the employees, but also because of the unique relationship among directors and member-owners of our cooperative.  Looking forward, there will be some challenges with our highly regulated environment, but with my years of education and experience as a director, I am confident this cooperative will continue moving forward as a leader in the industry.  I am focused on the future and want to continue to serve all NineStar members.