March 29, 2024

Energizing agriculture for the future: Conference brings state departments together

ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture held their annual meeting Sept. 1-3 to bring together leaders from across the country.

The theme of this year’s event was “energizing agriculture for the future.”

Barbara Glenn, CEO of NASDA, said the association has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic through its call to action — to increase resiliency in rural America.

“We’ve added policy focus on worker protection, rural broadband and food supply chain resiliency,” Glenn said.

“NASDA’s reenergized call to action will challenge the next administration to build on our strong state and federal partnerships. Let’s keep what’s good, let’s improve what needs improving, and ensure continuous progress and future preparedness.”

Looking to the 2020 presidential election and beyond, NASDA is calling on the next administration to:

• Preserve and expand market access for U.S. food and agriculture products.

• Protect workers in the food and agriculture sector and increase availability of qualified labor.

• Extend the 2014 farm bill hemp pilot program to protect growers and provide states with more time to bring their regulations into compliance with federal law.

• Prioritize keeping food safe for consumers.

• Expand rural broadband access for rural businesses and communities.

• Enhance resilience across the entire U.S. food supply.

Here are a few highlights from the meeting:

Focus On Inclusion

The association announced new policies to formally incorporate its commitment to racial justice into its policymaking framework.

“We acknowledge that in order to combat systemic racism, we must consider diverse audiences from the start of our policymaking process,” Glenn said.

“We believe that the future of agriculture is best served when all of those in the agriculture community are empowered regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation and/or religious creed.”

NASDA’s policy asserts that diversity and inclusion are fundamental principles of a sustainable agricultural community and necessary to advance the agricultural industry in the United States.

The policy also recommends supporting programs consistent with the new guiding principle and encourages all levels of government to do the same.

Leaders Honored

At the meeting, employees of three state departments of agriculture were honored for their service, communication and administration to their state.

Also honored were Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Bob Waltz, retired Indiana state chemist.

New Leaders

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles will serve as NASDA’s 2020-2021 president and will host the 2021 NASDA annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sept. 19-22, 2021.

The association’s board of directors and policy committees were also elected and appointed.

Strategic Plan

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture adopted a new strategic plan to guide the association from 2020 to 2025.

“American agriculture is the backbone of our rural communities, and COVID-19 has only underscored this,” Quarles said.

“NASDA’s new strategic plan will guide us as state agricultural officials as we engage many other partners in this critical journey. Together we’ll grow American agriculture.”

NASDA’s new mission statement is “grow and enhance American agriculture through policy, partnerships and public engagement.”

NASDA’s new vision statement is “agriculture leads the way toward a healthy and resilient world”

Learn more about NASDA at www.nasda.org.