Wes Ward
Wes Ward, the state’s newly minted secretary of the Agriculture Department, is following in large footsteps left by previous secretaries, one an industry giant and one a beloved figure.
But no one could be happier in the role, seemingly, than Ward. Try erasing his infectious grin. No, go ahead, try. The Marine (and current Marine reservist) may have a word or two to say about that.
Ward hails from Lake City, and he has degrees in agriculture and agriculture and food law. He served on U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford’s staff.
Now, he leads Agriculture.
The secretary spent time recently talking about his ideas on how the state can help farmers and ranchers and challenges facing them.
What is your favorite agriculture memory or experience?
I was on a rodeo team at Arkansas State University. Just that experience as a whole was instrumental. I think rodeo is representative of agriculture as a whole. It is not an exclusive environment. We are not in competition with each other, even though it is competitive. We are all here. We are all helping each other. We are all here to do good, and I think that experience was important.
As the state’s agriculture chief, how would you assess the overall state of the state’s agriculture economy?
I would say that I am optimistic and cautiously optimistic at the same time. Arkansas has a very diverse economic interest, a very broad range of agriculture interests. There are some areas where I have more concern than others. Cotton. This year the anticipated planting is the lowest it has ever been in recorded data, back to 1909. So, there are areas that are of concern, but they are balanced with other interests. We are planting more soybeans and more grain sorghum. … We have a lot to be excited about, ranging from forestry to row crops to livestock to poultry to aquaculture.
What does the state need to do to help market Arkansas agriculture?
I think that’s something that we can take that diversity and help market Arkansas as a whole. We can talk about agri-tourism, look what Arkansas has. We are kind of a national treasure, to be able to do all of this within our borders. And we have to understand that the markets for these guys range from local farmers’ markets to more regional aspects to national within the United States to global markets. It’s incredible the opportunities that are out there, and I think we are very well placed to be able to take advantage of that.
What should the role of state government be in agriculture?
What we want to do in the state is not be another layer of bureaucracy. We don’t want to be in competition with those federal programs. We want to do more advocacy, more education. We want to help our producers be successful and open additional markets to be even more successful than they are now. We want to be a voice for our farmers to say that these federal regulations or this federal legislation isn’t working well for Arkansas.
Federal farm legislation has been in place for a year, and last year proved to be one in which crop insurance programs could prove vital to the state’s producers. What is the initial reaction to and expectation for this farm bill?
I would say that I’m cautious. That’s probably the point for most people in agriculture. This is the most complicated farm bill they have ever seen. … Our insurance is our irrigation, our water. So, will that federal insurance be good for Arkansas? I think there are still some questions out there. We are fortunate to have Congressman Crawford on the House Agriculture Committee and Sen. [John] Boozman on the Senate Agriculture Committee. We are lucky to have those voices speaking for us.
A number of water conservation projects are gaining momentum. These involve public-private partnerships and lots of education for producers. How important are these efforts?
While some of these programs may be difficult, different than the way we’ve always done things before, I think they are necessary steps. We are starting to see depletion of aquifers. They are not recharging at the rate they should. That is a cause of concern, and we have to ask if we are going to take on the effort to reverse that. Through some of the initiatives I’ve seen, with the increased technology, they are using significantly less water and increasing yields at the same time by tailoring the water they are using. If we continue to go down that road, hopefully we will improve our crops and conserve water at the same time.
As agriculture requires more understanding of technology and marketing, educating today’s and tomorrow’s producers is increasingly important and involved. Why should public and private entities invest in agriculture education?
Agriculture today isn’t just about putting a seed in the ground. The college environment is helping teach the skills they will need. As you can see technology changing now, that is going to be an important piece. Large companies are saying that they have vacancies but they need potential employees to have particular skills. We are making steps to try to answer that.
Can enhanced agriculture programs bring jobs to the Delta and other areas of the state?
There is no doubt that the jobs are there, and they are good-paying jobs, too. It’s not like we are saying, ‘Go through this program and we are going to pay you chump change.’ It’s saying that when you graduate, we are going to pay you a good wage and that it’s not that this job will stay the same. It will grow and change, and these people will change along with it. In Arkansas, one out of every six jobs is tied to agriculture, and it is not a male-dominated industry anymore. It is going to continue to grow for both genders. It is an open door for anyone who wants to be part of it.
(This article appears in the latest edition of Arkansas AgBusiness.)
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