Arkansas Grown 2022 Digital Magazine

As part of Secretary Ward’s term as the SASDA President, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture hosted the 2021 Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA) Conference in June. The conference included updates and discussions on a range of issues, policies, and programs important to agriculture. Governor Asa Hutchinson and members of Arkansas’s congressional delegation, including Senator John Boozman, Congressman Rick Crawford, Representative French Hill, and Representative Bruce Westerman, were able to join SASDA members and provided updates on a range of issues and policies important to agriculture.

Harrison Pittman with the National Agricultural Law Center provided an overview of the latest agricultural and food law issues.

The 2021 SASDA conference would not have been possible without the generous contributions from sponsors. The conference’s theme was “Authentic Arkansas,” and from the rice fields of the Arkansas delta to the top of Petit Jean Mountain, attendees enjoyed several excursions that demonstrated why agriculture is Arkansas’s largest industry.

The outpouring of support throughout the whole state demonstrated to guests what true Arkansas hospitality looks like.

“Serving as the 2020-2021 President of SASDA and hosting the 2021 SASDA meeting, in-person in Little Rock, was an honor,” said Secretary Ward. “We are incredibly proud of the agriculture industry here in our state and look forward to the many ways that Arkansas will continue to contribute to American agriculture through SASDA and NASDA in the coming years.”

At the close of the conference, Secretary Ward passed the SASDA president's gavel on to Commissioner Kent Leonhardt of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

SASDA and NASDA are great resources for state departments of agriculture and provide additional ways for producers to have their voices heard at the regional and national levels. “Partnerships have always been important in agriculture, and I’ve seen firsthand the impact that working with our counterparts across the county can have in addressing issues and finding effective solutions for the industry,” said Ward.

ARKANSAS GROWN 93