Chamber Spotlight Featuring one of Lamar’s finest: Mr. Don Lucietta
Don is the Agriculture Director for Senator Roy Blunt. Don travels for congressman Blunt keeping him abreast of agricultural issues important to constituents. In addition to that Don communicates with Senator Blunt’s D.C Staff on legislative issues important to Agriculture and Agri-businesses traveling periodically to Washington, D.C.
Don and lives on and operates a farm near Lamar, Missouri. His son, Justin, lives in Webb City, Missouri.
Don was previously the Economic Development Director of the Barton County Chamber of Commerce.
Don presently serves:
- Elder at First Christian Church (Lamar) Chairman
- Board of Directors
- Good News Productions International (Joplin)
A lifetime resident of Barton County Don has previously served on various area boards and committees including:
- Member and Chairman of the Southwest Mo. USDA/RC&D Council
- Lamar R1 School Board of Education for nine years
- Helped organize the first Emergency Medical Service in Barton County and served as the first Chairman of the Barton County Ambulance District’s Board of Directors
- Barton County U of MO. Extension Council
- U of Mo. President’s advisory committee for extension
- State President of the Missouri Young Farmer Association
In 1991 Don traveled to and was instrumental in producing a video documentary of a U of MO/USAID agriculture project in Kenya, East Africa. The project was Co-Coordinated by Good News Productions International; a Church sponsored cross-cultural communications Ministry. The results were the production of 8 teaching videos, 2 in Swahili and 6 in English, to be used in the training of small African landholders in the management of a new breed of goat called a “Dual Purpose” (Milk and Meat) goat.
In 2007 Don traveled to Chiangmai, Thailand to meet with the Regional Directors of GNPI’s World-Wide Production Centers. While there Don was able to spend time with the family of Sanit Watanakeeree, a former AFS Student, who had lived with the Lucietta Family in 1990-1991.
Awards and honors include:
- 2008 ALOT’s Agriculture Leader of the Year Award
- 2005 Honorary State Degree Missouri FFA
- 1999 USDA/NRCS Partnership Award
- 1999 Missouri Farm Bureau’s outstanding service and dedication to agriculture as Congressman Blunt’s Agriculture Specialist
- 1998 Agriculture Leadership Award from the Missouri Association of County Agricultural Agents
- 1996 Barton County Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year Award
- 1995 Lifetime Honorary Member of the Missouri Young Farmers
- 1987 Epsilon Sigma Phi State Friend of Extension Award
- 1982 State Farm Management Award
- 1981 MFA’s Missouri Spokesman for Agriculture
- 1978 National Young Farmer Association’s Spokesman for Agriculture Award (Traveled with 2 other Spokesmen to Missouri, Texas and Arizona telling the AG story via media stops)
Education
Don attended Rural School District No.23 in Barton County, 1st through 8th Grade - A one room School House three miles from the home farm. 1962 Graduate of Lamar High School Attended Central Missouri State University (Warrensburg) Majoring in Agribusiness. He was a Past Member and Staff Sergeant in the Missouri Army National Guard
