With a warm smile and a tireless work ethic, Hope Cassebaum is quickly making her mark in Alabama agriculture.

Elected in December, she is the first female officer to serve on the boards of the Alabama Farmers Federation and Alfa Insurance, a milestone for the 105-year-old organization, according to a news release from the Federation.

“I’m a people person,” Cassebaum, who farms in Lillian, said in the release. “I like to get out, tell my story, listen to what other people do and help tell their story.”

Cassebaum said she learned her election would be historic only days before the Federation’s annual meeting. Her focus instead was on building support across the state, campaigning on her willingness to advocate for farmers from the Coastal Plain to the Black Belt. Her message resonated.

As Southwest Area vice president, Cassebaum represents members in 17 counties: Baldwin, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Escambia, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Sumter, Washington and Wilcox.

Federation President Jimmy Parnell, who has known Cassebaum and her husband, Todd, for decades, said her experience and insight will be invaluable to both Federation and Alfa business. She succeeds Jake Harper, who retired due to term limits.

“Hope is smart. She is a hard worker and is easy to get along with,” Parnell said. “It takes a unique personality and work ethic to replace Jake Harper. She has some large shoes to fill. She can do it. More importantly, Hope will do it.”

Cassebaum has been breaking barriers for years. In 2015, she became the first female president of the Baldwin County Farmers Federation, taking over after the death of longtime president David Bitto. She still holds that office. She was one of only three women in Class III of Agricultural Leaders for Alabama, serves on the Farm Service Agency county committee, and participates on advisory boards for United Bank, Extension and Elberta High School.

Under her leadership, Baldwin County Farmers Federation has established a local member benefits program and expanded scholarships to support students pursuing non-agricultural fields. Cassebaum said the goal was to adapt as agriculture’s dominance in the county declined.

The federation also engages in community outreach, with young farmers participating in Christmas parades and donating food, including peanut butter, through programs such as Backpack Buddies.

A native of west Alabama, Cassebaum grew up witnessing her father, George Aust, lead the Sumter County Farm Bureau in the 1970s. She moved to Baldwin County in 1987, quickly advancing in food service management with McDonald’s, Golden Corral and a Gulf Shores supper club. She later met Todd and together they developed Cassebaum Farms, producing pecans, cattle, row crops and summer-favorite sweet corn sold fresh to Gulf Coast visitors.

“I would get there at 7 a.m. to start bagging corn and sell until I had to go to work that evening. I didn’t get paid. I still don’t get paid!” Cassebaum said.

In addition to managing the farm with Todd, her son August and son-in-law Destry Hopper, she has spent 30 years bookkeeping for a local asphalt company. She also enjoys her role as Oma to grandchildren Margaret and July.

Cassebaum said her Federation journey began decades ago at a Young Farmers Conference, where a simple greeting from then-President Jerry Newby left a lasting impression. Now a vice president, she sits where Newby once presided.

“I’m proud to be part of an organization that puts family, faith and community first while fighting for the needs of farmers,” Cassebaum said. “I’m thankful my children and I have grown up on a farm where we’ve learned hard work, how to make it through tough times and the value of family.”