Bumpers College Dean, Students Speak at Diversity in Agriculture Conference

The conference, planned and coordinated by Arkansas Farm Bureau along with several partners, is an effort to expand the awareness of diverse career and business opportunities in agriculture.

Dean Deacue Fields and several students from U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences participated in the recent Diversity in Ag Virtual Conference sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau.

Fields led an hour-long discussion on careers in agriculture. The event also included sessions on marketing and branding your farm, urban agriculture, heir's property leading to opportunities for land ownership and making agriculture popular among youth.

Nicole Noga, in animal science, and Keia Jones, in agricultural economics and agribusiness, spoke as representatives of U of A's chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences student group.

Breanna Lewis Wade, in human development and family sciences, and Ellis Freel, an agricultural leadership and poultry science double-major, spoke as representatives of U of A Collegiate 4-H.

Logan Moss, an agricultural education and agricultural leadership double-major, and Stephanie Bennett, in poultry science, spoke on behalf of U of A's FFA chapter.

Attendees also heard from Dewayne Goldmon, an Arkansas farmer and two-time Bumpers College graduate (in agronomy) who was named senior adviser for racial equity to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture earlier this year. Other sessions included a farmers speak panel discussion and messages from AFB Executive Vice President Warren Carter, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward, USDA state conservationist Mike Sullivan and USDA Arkansas Farm Service Agency acting state executive director Danny Hoots.

Jacquelyn Wiersma-Mosley, professor of human development and family sciences in Bumpers College's School of Human Environmental Sciences and a MANRRS adviser, served on the planning committee.

The event is an effort to expand the awareness of diverse career and business opportunities existing in agriculture. The conference allows participants to explore opportunities through success stories and networking. It's also intended to foster an expansion of public and private partnerships within agriculture, Arkansas' largest industry sector.

AFB planned and coordinated the event in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U of A System Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Land and Community Development Corporation and The National Center for Appropriate Technology.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.