Convention program available here  

LITTLE ROCK — Farmers, ranchers and agricultural leaders from across the state will come together for Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 81st annual convention, set for Dec. 2-4 at Little Rock’s Marriott Hotel and the Statehouse Convention Center.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach, agricultural advocate Kevin Murphy and farmer-comedian Tim Moffett headline the speakers for the convention, which is expected to attract more than 1,000 farmers and ranchers.

The convention’s theme, Growing for Tomorrow, will be reinforced throughout the convention’s three-day run, including several conferences, competitions and special meetings.

The event culminates with the organization’s annual business session, where voting delegates will define the organization’s policy positions on items of importance to Farm Bureau members. The delegate body also elects the organization’s president and vice president.

“Our convention reflects things that are meaningful to Arkansas Farm Bureau members,” said Veach, a cotton, rice and soybean farmer from Manila (Mississippi County), who is concluding his seventh year as president of the organization. “Our focus will be on the issues facing farmer and ranchers, and understanding how those issues will impact agriculture in the future.”

Special conferences are scheduled that will address timely topics such as EPA’s waters of the U.S. proposal, international trade issues, federal farm programs, labor challenges, avian influenza and weed control advances.

Additionally, there will be commodity market outlook conferences, as well as sessions dealing with rural health issues and the latest on drone technology.

The convention will spotlight the winners in several different competitions among Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer & Rancher members.

Awards will be presented to county Farm Bureaus for their work in support of the organization’s agricultural advocacy and membership efforts, along with recognition for ArFB’s Ag in the Classroom teacher of the year, the ag education instructor of the year and its Agvocate of the Year. The top county Farm Bureau women’s program and Sew with Cotton contest winners will be named and the organization will recognize the recipient of the Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award. 

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.