Chris Lewis, a Feds national board member and spokesman on immigration and labour issues for the past two years, will leave at its annual meeting in Auckland early July.
He is one of two high profile Feds leaders to call it quits. Another board member and spokesman on water and biodiversity, Chris Allen, is also stepping down.
Lewis says stepping down a year before his three-year term ends should also help the incoming board members.
"Both Chris Allen and I thought the right thing is to stand down this year and let two new people in this year," he says.
Federated Farmers will hold its board elections next year when president Andrew Hoggard will step down at the end of his three year term.