SARL’s 2026 Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit will take place January 3-5, 2026, in New Orleans, LA (NOLA)! The location will be the Sheraton New Orleans, right in the heart of downtown and close to many of NOLA’s iconic sites. All legislators with a passion for agriculture and rural communities are invited to participate! [node:read-more:link]
Thank you for your participation and support making the SARL 2025 Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit a success! Click on the Agenda tab to find speaker presentations and handouts that were provided during the Summit.
The 2025 Legislative Ag Chairs Summit took place January 3-5, 2025, in Des Moines, IA at the Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack and Hotel (Altoona, IA).
Time to submit program topic ideas
SARL’s Board of Directors is excited to announce the 2025 Legislative Ag Chairs Summit is set for January 3-5, 2025, in Des Moines, IA. The event will take place at the Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack and Hotel (Altoona, IA). [node:read-more:link]
The officers and Board of the State Agriculture and Rural Leaders (SARL) are proud to announce that Kay Johnson Smith has been hired as the acting executive director. Smith will be responsible for the overall management of the SARL organization and serve as a liaison between its members and key stakeholders interested in the viability of rural communities and agriculture. [node:read-more:link]
By Brad Buck
UF/IFAS
Many farmers are incorporating tourism into their operations to draw visitors and earn an alternate source of income. If you’re interested in establishing an agritourism business, you can now register for and attend a workshop scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 14 on Zoom.
Luis Rodriguez and Allie Williams, the agriculture agents for UF/IFAS Extension Polk and Hillsborough counties, respectively, will host the workshop.
Topics include: [node:read-more:link]
DES MOINES, Iowa (KWWL) -- Governor Kim Reynolds is urging Congress to pass a law that she says would help protect the agriculture industry.
Governor Reynolds joined ten other Republican Governors in supporting a bill that would prevent states from impeding agricultural trade between states. [node:read-more:link]
Western Massachusetts will have ample representation on a new legislative committee focusing on agriculture.
Sens. Ann Gobi, D-Spencer, and Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, were named Senate chair and co-chair of the new Agriculture Committee while Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, will serve as vice chair on the House side, with Rep. Paul Schmid, D-Westport, as House chair. [node:read-more:link]
Colorado’s first-in-the-nation law allowing farmers to repair their own equipment could be “the first chink in the armor” that has allowed only manufacturers to complete some repairs, said Rusty Rumley, senior staff attorney for the National Agricultural Law Center. [node:read-more:link]
