Feedstuffs
Trump to speak at Farm Bureau convention Monday
For the second year in a row, President Donald Trump will address farm and ranch families at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention. When speaking to the crowd last year, Trump said he would be back the following year, and he’s again taking the opportunity to speak with some of his most loyal supporters.
Trump will speak Monday during the convention’s closing general session at 11:15-12:45 (CST -- subject to change).
More than 6,000 Farm Bureau members from across the nation are expected to gather Jan. 11-16 in New Orleans, La., to hear from distinguished leaders and participate in a grassroots policy-setting process that will guide the Farm Bureau through 2019.
“The American Farm Bureau Federation is honored once again to host our nation’s President,” said Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall, a beef and poultry farmer from Georgia. “President Trump has made agriculture a clear priority, giving farmers and ranchers a seat at the table on the top issues affecting our farms, ranches and rural communities. What better way to celebrate 100 years of Farm Bureau than to welcome the president of the United States to our centennial celebration?”
Other national officials attending the annual convention include Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs Ted McKinney and several members of Congress: Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R., Kan.), Sen. Jerry Moran (R., Kan.), Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.) and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R., Miss.).
Perdue will give the closing general session keynote address. Perdue has served as U.S. agriculture secretary since 2017 and joined Farm Bureau members at the 2018 Annual Convention. Prior to his appointment to the Trump Administration, he served as governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011 and as a Georgia state senator from 1991 to 2002.
“We are honored that Secretary Perdue will join us as a keynote speaker,” Duvall said. “Well before his first day in office in Washington, D.C., the secretary has been a champion for farmers and ranchers. We are excited to kick off Farm Bureau’s 100th year hearing from such a strong advocate for agriculture in the Administration. He truly understands how trade, regulations and labor shortages affect a farmer’s bottom line and ability to stay in business from one season to the next.”