U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made his second visit to Arkansas within the last year. This morning he participated in a roundtable discussion with Governor Hutchinson, Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and agriculture leaders from across the state. Following a productive session, he toured Brantley Farms near England and then Riceland Foods of Stuttgart, taking time in both locations to visit with farmers and farm families about pressing agricultural issues.
"The first time Sonny Perdue visited Arkansas as the Secretary of Agriculture, he was here to fly over the thousands of acres of farmland that were under water after the devastating storms last spring. Today, I’m thankful that Secretary Perdue was able to visit on a more pleasant mission as he met with some of our leaders in agriculture. Secretary Perdue understands that farming isn’t just a pastime for Arkansans but rather a vital part of who we are as a state,” said Governor Hutchinson in a release earlier today.
“Arkansas has very diverse agricultural production. Today we covered a broad range of topics that are important to our state’s agriculture industry. We are pleased that Secretary Perdue understands and appreciates the challenges of southern agricultural production and we are confident that he is fighting for common sense solutions in Washington D.C.,” says Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward.
While in Arkansas, Secretary Perdue met with multiple entities and associations to include: Brantley Farming Company, Riceland Foods, The Poultry Federation, Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association, Agricultural Council of Arkansas, Arkansas Forestry Association, Arkansas Timber producers Association, Arkansas Soybean Association, Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts, Arkansas Pork Producers Association, Arkansas Rice Federation, Arkansas State University of College of Agriculture and Technology, Carpenter’s Produce Farm, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, as well as representatives from Senator Tom Cotton, Senator John Boozman, Representative Rick Crawford, Representative French Hill, Representative Bruce Westerman, and Representative Steve Womack.
Source: arkansas.gov