NASHVILLE, TN – In just over two months, the 2026 USA Rice Outlook Conference will kick off here, and USA Rice is pleased to announce this year’s keynote speaker is USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden.
Vaden served as the agency’s General Counsel in the first Trump Administration, where he helped implement the 2018 Farm Bill before being nominated in 2019 and confirmed in 2020 as a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade. While on the Court, Judge Vaden made rulings on fertilizer duty cases and as Deputy Secretary he has participated in field hearings on the issue of fertilizer price discovery.
When he takes the stage in December, Vaden, a Tennessee native, is expected to talk in detail about the ag economy, where the country is with the new Farm Bill in the lame duck session of Congress, and where he thinks ag policy will be heading in the final two years of the Trump Administration.
“Judge Vaden is a fantastic, direct speaker who understands farm issues practically, intellectually, and politically,” said Peter Bachmann, president & CEO of USA Rice who worked with Vaden in the first Trump Administration as well. “He is engaging and entertaining and we are fortunate to have him headlining our event.”
Registration for Outlook is open and the hotel block is filling up fast. Rates increase on November 11, so register today. And watch this space for more programming updates.