South Dakota ranchers to speak at Farm Bureau’s mid-summer conference

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 69^th annual Officers and Leaders Conference is set for July 24-25 at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

South Dakota ranchers Troy and Stacy Hadrick will close the convention and reinforce the conference theme, “Innovation Generation.” The Hadricks, who raise cattle, corn, soybeans and wheat near Aberdeen, S.D., are frequent speakers around the country, challenging farmers and ranchers to discover the influential power of agricultural advocacy. Their story has been shaped by personal experiences that challenged and guided the young couple.

About 500 Farm Bureau leaders are expected to attend the mid-summer conference.

Workshops at the conference will cover topics such as state legislative issues, on-farm technology, effective disposal of crop protection products, livestock and crop overviews and the role of the new Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation.

“The goal of our Officers and Leaders Conference is to provide important and practical information to those who serve as leaders for our 76 county Farm Bureau organizations,” said Randy Veach, who is in his ninth term as president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest agricultural advocacy organization. “We believe the speakers and workshops for this conference will help the Innovation Generation keep their operations sustainable and functioning.

“And when I say ‘Innovation Generation,’ I am actually talking about all of our farmers and ranchers. The changes that have occurred in our lifetimes – whether you are 19 or 90 – has been phenomenal, ranging from technology advancement to social innovation and transformation.

“That change comes at a remarkable pace. It helps to have some advice and counsel about those changes, and hopefully our members experience that during O&L.”

At the conference, the organization will also announce winners of its Young Farmer & Rancher competitions, as well as recognize the recipients of the Romeo E. Short, Farm Bureau Foundation and Marvin Vines Memorial scholarships.

Arkansas Farm Bureau is a nonprofit, private advocacy organization of more than 190,000 families throughout the state working to improve farm and rural life.

For more information, contact:

Steve Eddington
(501) 228-1383
steve.eddington@arfb.com

or

Rob Anderson
(501) 228-1640
rob.anderson@arfb.com