Zippy Duvall to speak at IFBF Summit

by | May 23, 2017 | 5 Ag Stories, News

Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) president, is the featured speaker for the 2017 Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Economic Summit.

Duvall, will be the first AFBF president to speak at IFBF?s Economic Summit. He was elected to lead AFBF in 2016. Duvall is a third-generation farmer from Georgia who raises hay and broilers and has a 300-head beef cow herd.

The summit is on July 20 at the Iowa State Scheman Center in Ames. The theme this year is ?Overcoming Challenges, Creating Opportunities.?

It is designed to provide farmers insights and strategies for managing through this downturned economic period, with pending trade negotiations which have potential for significant impacts to Iowa agriculture.

?We want to make sure our Economic Summit goes beyond simply surviving and include helping farmers find opportunities out there to earn a premium price for their crops and livestock, or opportunities to significantly reduce their cost of production and improve their bottom lines,? said Dave Miller, IFBF director of research and commodity services.

Speakers during this year?s Economic Summit will discuss the benefits of trade for Iowa agriculture and the current status and future outlook for ag exports.

?With the United States pulling out of TPP and planning to renegotiate NAFTA, it?s certainly a dynamic period for ag trade,? says Miller. ?However, that does not diminish the critical importance of expanding exports for Iowa crop and livestock farmers.?

The summit will also provide a timely look at the potential outlines of the 2018 farm bill, feature breakout sessions that allow attendees to dive deeper into a range of topics from soil health and cover crops and opportunities in livestock production to ways to build landlord-tenant relationships and trends in the farm machinery markets.

?This year?s IFBF summit will be a valuable tool to help farmers do that,? said Miller.