Organization represents agriculture in the southern states
By Diego Flammini, Farms.com
During the 2015 annual meeting of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA) that took place earlier in June in Atlanta, Georgia, the association elected a new president – Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture, John McMillan.
“I am honored to have been selected by my fellow commissioners, secretaries and directors of state agriculture departments to serve as SASDA’s President,” said McMillan. “I will work to ensure that all of the voices of southern agriculture are heard in our efforts to grow agriculture and industry in the southern region of the United States.”
SASDA is a branch of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, made up of leaders in agriculture from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the Virgin Islands.
While there, the delegates discussed such issues including avian influenza, Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), the Environmental Protection Agency, and Waters of the U.S.
The other executives involved in SASDA include Tennessee Commissioner Julius Johnson as Vice President, Mississippi Cindy Hyde-Smith as Secretary, and newly elected Treasurer, Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller.
"I am honored to have been selected by my colleagues to serve in a leadership role for this important organization,” Commissioner Miller said. “We are facing critical issues in agriculture today. I will work hard to protect our farmers and ranchers, as well as the industry as a whole and the people who depend upon it.”
The 2016 SASDA conference will be held in June 2016 in Point Clear, Alabama.
Join the conversation and let us know your thoughts on the newly elected officials of SASDA. What are some agricultural issues that are specific to the southern states that should be addressed?