Former Texas Farm Bureau President dies in tractor accident

PLAINVIEW, TX (KLTV) - The Texas Farm Bureau reported Tuesday that former Texas Farm Bureau President, S.M. True, Jr., 88, died in an accident on his farm.

According to the Plainview Herald, Mr. True was working on a tractor when apparently a large portion of the tractor fell on his neck, likely killing him instantly. The Herald also stated that early reports are that his brother, Riley True, came to his barn and found him there.

Mr. True was called "one of the giants in history of Texas agriculture" by Kenneth Dierschke, the current TFB president. Mr. True served as Farm Bureau state president from 1982-1993.

"He had a unique ability to bring people together and work out consensus on the most controversial of issues," Dierscheke said in a Farm Bureau press release.

True also served on the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Board of Directors and received AFBF's Distinguished Service Award and the Meritorious Service Award from Texas Farm Bureau. He was named to the State Fair of Texas' Heritage Hall of Honor in 2002. He also served on the Texas Beef Council (TBC) Board of Directors, including a term as TBC president, and was a member of the Cotton Board, the Texas Farm Bureau reports.

"S.M. True has left a towering legacy at Texas Farm Bureau," Dierschke said. "Serving the farm and ranch families of Texas was his passion. He was still doing that as long as he lived."

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