INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Earlier this week, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward was elected to serve a one-year term as president of the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) during their annual meeting here.
Ward has long been a staple in Arkansas agriculture, first appointed to his role as Secretary in 2015 by former Governor Asa Hutchinson and reappointed last year by Governor Sarah Sanders.
He was raised in Lake City, Arkansas, in the heart of rice country, just outside of Jonesboro and has attended various Arkansas universities to earn a B.S., M.S., and J.D. all with an emphasis on agriculture. He has served in the U.S. Marine Corps for more than 22 years and has completed deployments and exercises in Afghanistan, Jordan, and Japan. He is currently serving in the Marine Corps Reserves as a Detachment Commander with the 1st Civil Affairs Group in Camp Pendleton, California.
As part of Ward’s new leadership role with NASDA, he will represent an array of both elected and appointed colleagues that lead their state’s department of agriculture, spending significant time advocating to the Administration and working to lift trade barriers to increase exports.
“I want to heartily congratulate my friend Wes for his election to this key role within NASDA after many years working his way through the organization’s regional and committee leadership ranks,” said USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann. “Representing the state with the largest rice acreage, he’s well positioned to work closely with our USA Rice Chair Keith Glover, also an Arkansan, and our friend Senator Boozman of Arkansas who currently serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee.”
Glover, CEO of Producers Rice Mill, said, “I have watched Wes’ career really take off over the last decade and this election is a testament to the work he has put into the NASDA organization. I’m looking forward to using my role within Arkansas agriculture and at USA Rice to help support Wes over the next year. I think Wes will use this role and continue to build on his career in the agriculture and government sectors, he has been a great friend to rice and to agriculture in the state. I know he will continue to advocate for new markets for U.S. rice and help amplify agriculture’s voice in Washington regarding regulatory concerns, Farm Bill asks, and more.”
Ward’s chairmanship of NASDA will conclude next September as he hosts the organization’s 2025 annual meeting in Rogers, Arkansas.