Rainey selected president of Southern Agricultural Economics Association
Fast Facts:
- UA Div of Ag professor leads professional association
- Southern Agricultural Economics Association promotes profession globally
- SAEA has some 700 members from the U.S. and abroad
- Rainey: Association must seek respect, relevance, relationships
(313 words)
By The Cooperative Extension Service
ATLANTA – The newly selected president of the Southern Agricultural Economics Association said he’d like to see the group increase its visibility and engagement as a profession address mounting challenges in the face of increased scrutiny.
Ron Rainey was named president of SAEA during its 47th annual conference in Atlanta. Rainey is a professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and co-director of the Southern Risk Management Education Center.
Rainey said members of his profession must continually seek respect, relevance and relationships to effectively engage our stakeholders. These three “Rs” are important in not only maintaining solid relationships to promote the profession, and are vital to expanding the potential understanding the impact of agricultural economists’ ability to address local and global issues, Rainey said.
“As you look at the most pressing economic and social issues facing our country and the world, it is impossible to not have agriculture playing a significant role in the solution,” he told the group in his address, “You Are Needed.” “Whether we are protecting our precious natural resources or feeding the world’s expanding population, agricultural and in many instances the application of agricultural economics is inseparably linked to addressing the issue.”
Rainey said he sought to increase the association’s level of engagement and to enhance the profession’s visibility and impact both locally and abroad. He said he wanted to promote a spirit of collaboration among colleagues, across university campuses and industry.
Quoting an African proverb, “Alone you go fast, but together you go far,” he challenged attendees, especially the students, to value diversity as they engage. He noted the need for students to be intentional in their activities as they start the process of building their professional legacies.
Rainey is a native of Conway County.
About SAEA
SAEA was founded in 1968 with a mission of fostering the study, understanding and value of agricultural economics and its application to problems in the Southern United States. Today the association has 700 members from the U.S. and abroad.
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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
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U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
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