Wednesday, February 12, 2025
The 31st annual Agribusiness Conference will be presented in the Fowler Center and Embassy Suites Red Wolf Convention Center.
A livestream of the morning general session will be available online.
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To register, CLICK HERE.
email Astate_Agribus_Conf@Astate.edu
phone 870-972-2416 or 870-972-2085
Registration for the luncheon is requested by Wednesday, January 29. Unregistered guests are welcome to attend the sessions. Thanks to generous support from the conference sponsors, there is no registration fee.
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2025 Conference Program
Morning Sessions: A-State Fowler Center
7:30 - Registration and Refreshments
8:30 - General Session: Fowler Center
- Dr. Bert Greenwalt
Professor of Agricultural Economics
Director of the A-State Agribusiness Conference
8:35 - General World Agricultural Markets and Outlook
- Mr. Dan Basse
President, AgResource Company
9:40 - Break and Refreshments
10:00 - Report from the St. Louis Fed on 8th District Agricultural Conditions
- Ms. Matuschka Lindo Briggs
Senior VP and Regional Executive
LR Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
10:20 - Issues and Outlook for Arkansas Agriculture
- Dr. John Anderson
Director, Cooperative Extension Service
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
10:50 - The Impact of the 2024 Election on U.S. Agricultural Policy
- Ms. Mary Kay Thatcher
Senior Manager for Federal Government and Industry Relations
Syngenta
11:30 - Questions and Discussion
Lunch & Afternoon Sessions: Embassy Suites / Red Wolf Convention Center
12:00 - Luncheon Keynote by Secretary Wes Ward - Ballroom
- Dr. Bert Greenwalt, Professor of Agricultural Economics
- Dr. Mickey LaTour, Dean, College of Agriculture
- Dr. Todd Shields, Chancellor, Arkansas State University
- Mr. Wes Ward, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture
1:30 - Rice Industry Issues and Outlook – Cotton Room
- Mr. Grayson Daniels, Riceland Foods, Inc.
- Dr. Bert Greenwalt, Arkansas State University
1:30 - Animal Health Issues and the A-State College of Veterinary Medicine – Caraway Room
- Dr. Heidi Banse, Arkansas State University
- Dr. Donald Kennedy, Arkansas State University
- Dr. Jerica Rich, Arkansas State University
1:30 - Cotton Industry Issues and Outlook – Blues Room
- Mr. Jeff Johnson, Allenberg Cotton Company
- Dr. Ray Benson, Arkansas State University
3:00 - Concurrent Sessions Adjourn
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT - available only to in-person attendees
Certified Public Accountants: As set forth in the Rules and Regulations of the Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy, this conference meets the guidelines for continuing professional education in the following subject matter area: Other – up to five and one-half hours. CPAs will pick up CPE credit forms at the Fowler Center registration desk and submit the completed form at the end of the conference at the desk near the Embassy Suites meeting rooms.
Certified Crop Advisors and Arkansas Agricultural Consultants: The conference has been approved for up to three Personal Development CEUs, one Crop Management CEUs, and one-half sustainability Specialty CEU. CCAs and AACs must sign in and out or scan the credit log form. Sign in for the morning general session at the Fowler Center registration desk. Sign out at the end of the conference at the desk near the Embassy Suites meeting rooms.
American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers: The conference has been approved for up to five and one-half hours of continuing education credit by the ASFMRA. As ASRMRA members self-report, there is no on-site registration form.
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2025 Conference Speakers
John Anderson was appointed director of the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture in January 2024. Previously John served over four years as the head of the University of Arkansas Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. Other past positions include Deputy Chief Economist of the American Farm Bureau Federation and faculty and administrative positions at Mississippi State University, the University of Kentucky, and the College of the Ozarks. An Arkansas native, John was reared on a beef and poultry farm near the Timbo community in Stone County. He received his B.S. in agribusiness from the College of the Ozarks, his M.S. in Agriculture from Arkansas State University, and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University.
Heidi Banse was appointed the inaugural dean of the A-State College of Veterinary Medicine in July 2024. Previously she was the associate dean for educational strategy in the Louisiana State University College of Veterinary Medicine where she implemented a new competency-based veterinary curriculum. Heide has also held faculty positions at Louisiana State University and the University of Calgary. She earned her B.S. in veterinary science and D.V.M. at Washington State University and her Ph.D. in veterinary biomedical science at Oklahoma State University.
Dan Basse is the founder of AgResource Company, an agricultural research firm based in Chicago. AgResource provides information and research to farmers, elevators, food companies, and traders in over 80 countries. Dan previously worked with Professional Farmers of America, Brock Associates, and GNP Commodities. Reared on a dairy/grain farm in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Dan earned his M.S. in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ray Benson holds the R.E. Lee Wilson Chair of Agriculture in the A-State College of Agriculture and is an assistant professor of agronomy. He was previously staff chair of the Mississippi County Cooperative Extension Service for over eleven years. A native of Manila, Arkansas, Ray was reared on his family’s farm and earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in agronomy at the University of Arkansas. He earned his Ph.D. in environmental science at Arkansas State University where his research focused on precision agriculture technology and spatial data analysis.
Matuschka Lindo Briggs Is senior vice president and regional executive of the Little Rock Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She previously held positions at the St. Louis Fed in community development, public affairs and fiscal agent responsibilities for the U.S. Treasury. Prior to joining the Fed, Matuschka was a reporter and TV/radio host with NBC and ESPN affiliates. She earned her M.B.A. from Washington University and her bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from William Woods University.
Grayson Daniels is vice president for grain sales and procurement at Riceland Foods, Inc., a farmer owned cooperative headquartered in Stuttgart, Arkansas. Prior to joining Riceland in 2002, Grayson was an agricultural policy analyst at Sparks Companies, Inc. in Washington, D.C. Grayson is past president of the Midsouth Grain Association and currently serves on the board of directors of the National Oilseed Producers Association. Reared on his family’s farm near Paragould, Arkansas, Grayson earned his B.S.A. in agricultural business from A-State and his M.S. in agricultural economics from Purdue University.
Bert Greenwalt is a professor of agricultural economics and director of the A-State Agribusiness Conference. He also farms with his family at Hazen, Arkansas. During 1999-2004, Bert was elected to two terms as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and later served eight years on the St. Louis Fed Agribusiness Council. He currently serves as a director of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas. Bert earned a B.S.A. in agricultural business & economics from A-State, an M.S. from the University of Arkansas, and his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University.
Jeff Johnson is vice president and head of U.S. domestic sales at Allenberg Cotton Company in Memphis, Tennessee where he has over 33 years of experience in originating and merchandising U.S. cotton for the Louis Dreyfus Group. Jeff has previously served as president of the Southern Cotton Shippers Association, the Memphis Cotton Exchange, and as chairman of the American Cotton Shippers Association. He currently serves as a director and executive committee member of the National Cotton Council and is chair of the NCC Quality Task Force. Jeff earned his B.S. in marketing and M.S.A. in agriculture from A-State.
Donald “Bud” Kennedy is associate dean of the A-State College of Agriculture and a professor of animal science. A native of Alvin, Texas, Bud earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in agricultural education from Sam Houston State University and his Ph.D. in animal science from Louisiana State University. He joined the A-State faculty in 1993. In 2016, the Delta Tau Alpha agriculture honor society recognized Bud with its National Outstanding Teacher and Advisor award. He serves on the A-State College of Veterinary Medicine planning committee.
Micky LaTour was appointed dean of the A-State College of Agriculture in August 2020. Previous positions include dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University and associate dean at Purdue University. A native of Louisiana, Mickey earned his B.S. in animal science at Southeastern Louisiana State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. at Mississippi State University.
Jerica Rich is an assistant professor of animal science at Arkansas State University where she joined the faculty in 2020. A specialist in beef reproductive physiology, Jerica’s research investigates the economics of heat detection versus fixed-time artificial insemination synchronization protocols in beef herds. A native of Nashua, New Hampshire, Jerica earned her B.S. in biomedical sciences at the University of New Hampshire and her M.S. and Ph.D. in animal science at South Dakota State University.
Mary Kay Thatcher is the senior manager for federal government and industry relations for Syngenta. Prior to 2018, Mary Kay was the senior director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation where she focused on farm programs, crop insurance, conservation, and credit issues. Before joining AFBF in 1982, she served as a legislative assistant for agriculture to Sen. Roger Jepsen of Iowa and later served in the George H.W. Bush administration as director of congressional and public affairs for the Farm Credit Administration. A fifth-generation farmer, Mary Kay was reared on her family’s farm in Cumming, Iowa and now owns and manages a corn, soybean, and cattle farm in Corydon, Iowa. She earned B.S. degrees in animal science and agricultural economics from Iowa State University.
Wes Ward was named Arkansas' third Secretary of Agriculture in March 2015. He is currently president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. A native of Lake City, Arkansas, Wes earned his B.S.A. in agricultural business at Arkansas State University and his J.D. and L.L.M. in agricultural and food law at the University of Arkansas. He has served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 24 years and is currently a Civil Affairs Officer in the Marine Corps Reserve.
