After a brief hiatus from serving on the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) Board of Directors, Doug Darling rejoined the board in December 2006 upon election as a Director At-Large.
Darling, of Maybee, first served on the MFB board from 1990 to 1995. During his hiatus from the board, he served as a commissioner with the Michigan Commission of Agriculture, of which he chaired at the time of his most recent MFB election.
Darling is a partner in Darling Farms along with his father. The Monroe County farm has been in the family since 1833, making it a sesquicentennial farm. The Darlings grow corn, soybeans and wheat on 1,600 acres, and primarily use no-till practices.
A 1980 graduate of Michigan State University's (MSU) Institute of Agriculture Technology, Darling has held numerous leadership positions, including serving as London Township Supervisor from 1987 to 1996, working as a vocational agriculture instructor at Manchester High School, and serving on the Milan Area Fire Department Board.
Darling has been extremely active within MFB at both the county and state levels. Some of his past MFB activities include serving on the Monroe County Farm Bureau Board of Directors from 1980 to 1990 and being a member of the MFB Young Farmer, Policy Development and AgriPac committees. As well, he has served on MFB advisory committees concerning farmland preservation and the environment and natural resources.
Darling's agricultural involvement outside of Farm Bureau is equally impressive. In the past he has served on the Michigan Department of Labor's Wage Deviation Board, the Michigan Department of Education's Agricultural Education Advisory Committee, the Michigan FFA Alumni Board and the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Board.
In addition, Darling has been involved in several activities at the national level, including serving as a representative to the World Trade Organization's Seattle Round of negotiations, testifying before the Federal Trade Commission on Chicago Board of Trade points of delivery, and lobbying Capitol Hill on the farm bill priorities of Farm Bureau.
Darling and his wife Helen have three sons.