The Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation has announced John McMinn, director of Commodity Activities and Economics in the organization’s Commodity and Regulatory Affairs Department will expand his role by taking on new commodity responsibilities.

For the past two years McMinn has served as the director of Commodity Activities and Economics for Aquaculture, Forestry and Specialty Crops. In his new role McMinn will continue to serve the Specialty Crop Division and will assume additional duties and responsibilities associated with the Beef Cattle and Equine Divisions.

His work will include the implementation of Farm Bureau policy affecting each of the agricultural commodities and he will be responsible for economic analysis and commodity-specific programs and activities surrounding Beef, Equine and Specialty Crops.

A native of Stuttgart, McMinn came to Arkansas Farm Bureau after spending three years as a program associate in the agricultural economics and agribusiness department with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. His primary responsibility was to develop and promote specialty crop budgets for growers within Arkansas and to help them better manage risk. He also did price analysis for different specialty crop markets and helped define new forms of value-added products for Arkansas growers. McMinn also worked as a precision ag adviser for Greenway Equipment, where he helped farmers deploy global positioning satellite equipment and other precision ag technologies. 

McMinn earned undergraduate and graduate degrees through the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. As part of his master’s degree program in international agricultural economics, McMinn studied at the University of Ghent in Belgium.

"We’ve seen some similarities in the way the beef cattle and specialty crop markets have evolved in recent years, particularly as it relates to the emergence of the farm-to-table movement and direct-to-consumer marketing of beef. Consumers remain interested in where their food comes from and buying locally sourced food, and John has been immersed in this area for the last five years,” said Evan Teague, vice president of commodity and regulatory affairs. “John is eager to learn about the issues facing beef cattle and equine producers, so he can assist them and help advance Farm Bureau’s policy objectives related to these commodities. I have full confidence that he is up to the challenge."

Arkansas Farm Bureau is a nonprofit, private farm and rural advocacy organization of more than 190,000 member families throughout the state working to improve farm and rural life. 

For more information, contact:

Steve Eddington

(501) 228-1383

steve.eddington@arfb.com

or

Rob Anderson

(501) 228-1640

rob.anderson@arfb.com