May 24, 2022
UA System Trustee Ed Fryar to keynote national development conference
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- Fryar to speak about technology advances in agriculture
- Keynote set for June 15 at Graduate Hotel
- Must be registered to attend keynote
- NAADA co-hosted by UA Division of Agriculture and Bumpers College
(Newsrooms: SUBS 3rd graf to note the co-sponsorship of the NAADA conference; adds that lecture is open to those who attend the conference; SUBS fast facts to reflect conference registration required)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ed Fryar, a member of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees, will be the Bickford Lecture Series Keynote speaker at this year’s national conference of the National Agricultural Alumni Development Association.
Fryar will be speaking about “Agriculture Innovation and Productivity,” describing and demonstrating how innovation has enabled the industry to keep feeding the world.
The annual conference begins June 13 and is being held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, hometown of the University of Arkansas. Fryar’s address will be 11:45 a.m., June 15, in the Graduate Hotel ballroom, 70 N. East Ave. Conference registration is required to attend the keynote.
This year's NAADA conference is being co-hosted by the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“We are excited for Dr. Fryar to share his perspective with both private industry and academic research experience on agricultural innovation and productivity and the impact on today’s food production,” said Brian Helms, co-chair for the NAADA 2022 conference and director of stakeholder relations for the Division of Agriculture. “His insights should be very valuable to our audience.”
Fryar has worn many hats during his career as professor, entrepreneur and policymaker.
He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He was a tenured professor of agricultural economics at the University of Arkansas, focusing his research on grain and poultry marketing and price risk management.
After 13 years in academia, Fryar went on to found Ozark Mountain Poultry, which employed more than 1,800 people and processed more than 1.2 million chickens a week. OMP focused on antibiotic-free and non-GMO chicken products. OMP was acquired by George’s, Inc. in 2018.
Fryar has served on the Council of Economic Advisors for Arkansas governors since 1983 and is also a member of the Agribusiness Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
He was inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2019, the same year he was appointed to the UA System Board of Trustees. Fryar is the current chairman of the board’s agriculture committee.
Fryar knows a thing or two about philanthropy. In 2020, the Fryar Family Charitable Foundation donated $10 million to establish the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
501-671-2006
mhightower@uada.edu