Agribusiness Conference

Continuing education credits are only available to in-person attendees.

Certified Public Accountants:  As set forth in the Rules and Regulations of the Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy, this conference meets the guidelines for continuing professional education in the following subject matter area: Other – up to five and one-half hours.  CPAs will pick up CPE credit forms at the Fowler Center registration desk and submit the completed form at the end of the conference at the desk near the Embassy Suites meeting rooms.

Certified Crop Advisors and Arkansas Agricultural Consultants:  The conference has been approved for up to three Personal Development CEUs, one Crop Management CEU, and one-half sustainability Specialty CEU. CCAs and AACs must sign in and out or scan the credit log form.  Sign in for the morning general session at the Fowler Center registration desk.  Sign out at the end of the conference at the desk near the Embassy Suites meeting rooms.

American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers:  The conference has been approved for up to five and one-half hours of continuing education credit by the ASFMRA.  As ASRMRA members self-report, there is no on-site registration form.

Heidi Banse was appointed the inaugural dean of the A-State College of Veterinary Medicine in July 2024.  She was previously the associate dean for educational strategy in the Louisiana State University College of Veterinary Medicine where she implemented a new competency-based veterinary curriculum.  Heidi has also held faculty positions at Louisiana State University and the University of Calgary.  She earned her B.S. in veterinary Science and D.V.M. at Washington State University and her Ph.D. in veterinary biomedical science at Oklahoma State University.

Ray Benson holds the R.E. Lee Wilson Chair of Agriculture in the A-State College of Agriculture and is an assistant professor of agronomy.  His research focuses on precision agriculture technology and spatial data analysis.  Ray was previously staff chair of the Mississippi County Cooperative Extension Service for over eleven years.  A native of Manila, Arkansas, Ray was reared on his family’s farm and earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in agronomy at the University of Arkansas and his Ph.D. in environmental science at Arkansas State University where his research 

Hunter Biram is an assistant professor with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture where his extension work focuses on agricultural policy, crop insurance, and risk management.  A native of Floral, Arkansas, Hunter was reared on his family’s farm which produces cattle, broilers, nursery crops, and peaches.  He earned his B.S.A. in agricultural business from Arkansas State University, his M.S. in agricultural economics at Mississippi State University, and his Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Kansas State University.

Hunter Burnett is an assistant professor of animal science in the A-State College of Agriculture.  A native of Greenbriar, Arkansas, Hunter and his wife Allyson operate a beef cattle ranch there.  He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Arkansas and his Ph.D. at Mississippi State University.  Hunter joined the A-State faculty in 2024.
 
Grayson Daniels is vice president for grain sales and procurement at Riceland Foods, Inc., a farmer owned cooperative headquartered in Stuttgart, Arkansas.  Prior to joining Riceland in 2002, Grayson was an agricultural policy analyst at Sparks Companies, Inc. in Washington, D.C.  Grayson is past president of the Midsouth Grain Association and currently serves on the board of directors of the National Oilseed Producers Association.  Reared on his family’s farm near Paragould, Arkansas, Grayson earned his B.S.A. in agricultural business from A-State and his M.S. in agricultural economics from Purdue University.  

Bert Greenwalt is a professor of agricultural economics and director of the A-State Agribusiness Conference.  He also farms with his family at Hazen, Arkansas.  During 1999-2004, Bert was elected to two terms as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and later served eight years on the St. Louis Fed Agribusiness Council.  He currently serves as a director of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas.  Bert earned a B.S.A. in agricultural business & economics from A-State, an M.S. from the University of Arkansas, and his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University.

Scott Irwin is a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Illinois where he holds the Laurence J. Norton Chair of agricultural marketing.  His research focuses on commodity futures markets, price risk management, and biofuels policy.  Reared on his family's farm in Iowa, Scott earned his bachelor's degree in agricultural business at Iowa State University and his master's and Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Purdue University.  He recently co-authored the book Back to the Futures: crashing dirt bikes, chasing cows, and unraveling the mystery of commodity futures markets.

Jeff Johnson is head of cotton for North America and President of Allenberg Cotton Company in Memphis, Tennessee where he has over 35 years of experience in originating and merchandising U.S. cotton for the Louis Dreyfus Group.  Jeff has previously served as president of the Southern Cotton Shippers Association, the Memphis Cotton Exchange, and as chairman of the American Cotton Shippers Association.  He currently serves as a member of the National Cotton Council and is chairman of the NCC National Quality Task Force.  Jeff earned his B.S. in marketing and M.S.A. in agriculture from A-State.

Donald “Bud” Kennedy is a professor of animal science and formerly associate dean of the A-State College of Agriculture.    A native of Alvin, Texas, Bud earned his B.S. and M.Ed. in agricultural education from Sam Houston State University and his Ph.D. in animal science from Louisiana State University.  He joined the A-State faculty in 1993.

Mickey Latour was appointed dean of the A-State College of Agriculture in August 2020.  Previous positions include dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University and associate dean at Purdue University.  A native of Louisiana, Mickey earned his B.S. in animal science at Southeastern Louisiana State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. at Mississippi State University.

John Nowlin is associate professor of geospatial technologies and interim associate dean of the A-State College of Agriculture.  A native of Tennessee, John earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in geography with GIS certifications from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  John joined the A-State faculty in 2018.

Joe Outlaw is a professor and extension economist at Texas A&M University and serves as codirector of the Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center.  In this role, he interacts with members of Congress and agricultural committee staff to provide feedback on the likely consequences of agricultural policy changes.  Joe’s extension education and research activities focus on assessing the impacts of government farm programs, risk management tools, renewable energy and climate change legislation on U.S. agricultural operations.  Originally from Devine, Texas, Joe received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University.

Harrison Pittman is director of the National Agricultural Law Center, which is a unit of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.  The Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information.   Harrison began his work with the Center as a graduate assistant in 2001.  His research areas include the farm bill, water and environmental law, pesticide regulation, and agritourism.  A native of Clarendon, Arkansas, Harrison received his J.D. and L.L.M. in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas.

Todd Shields was appointed chancellor of Arkansas State University in 2022.  He previously served in several leadership positions at the University of Arkansas including dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.  Todd began his academic career as a professor of political science and played a key role in creating the Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society.  He earned a B.A. in political science and a B.A. in psychology at Miami University in Ohio and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political science at the University of Kentucky.  

Edward Swaim is executive director of the Bayou Meto Water Management District.  For 15 years, he was previously Chief of the Water Resources Management Division of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission.  Ed also served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve.  A native of Lonoke County, Ed earned his bachelor's degree from Hendrix College and his J.D. from the University of Arkansas.