Captain Scott F. O'Grady

Wednesday Welcome Lunch Speaker

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Captain Scott F. O’Grady earned a Bachelor of Science degree (Aeronautical) in 1989 and was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps program. Following college, O’Grady attended the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program and was assigned to F-16 pilot training at Luke Air Force Base. After 12 years as an F-16 pilot, O’Grady entered inactive reserve status in 2001. Shortly after, he enrolled at Dallas Theological Seminary and graduated with a Masters Degree in 2007. O’Grady also was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in public service by the University of Portland in Oregon.

O’Grady was helping enforce the NATO no-fly zone policy in the skies over Bosnia when a Soviet-made anti aircraft missile slammed into his F-16. O’Grady tells his incredible story of how he survived in hostile territory for six days before being rescued by the U.S. Marines in his book, “Return With Honor,” which spent six weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. He has also published “Basher Five-Two,” a children’s edition of his original story. His courageous story has been documented on the Discovery Channel presentation, Behind Enemy Lines. In addition, O’Grady has been featured on CNN’s Voices of the Millennium, and Then and Now, series that focus on the most influential personalities of the past 25 years.

Mark Pearson - Keynote Speaker

Presenting "What's Ahead for Industry and Agriculture" at Wednesday's General Session

Get ready to laugh and learn with Mark Pearson as he takes you on an entertaining journey — a look ahead at the outlook for the farm markets of corn, soybeans, wheat, hogs and cattle prices…and the global trends impacting these markets. He will also examine changing consumer trends, demographics, land values, and ag policy issues.

Farmer, small businessman, stockbroker and raconteur, long-time Market To Market host, Mr. Pearson has earned a national reputation for his agribusiness and rural issues acumen. A former Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for the State of Iowa, Pearson’s long career in the media culminated with his being named host of Market To Market in 1991. Since then, he has kept viewers informed as host of more than 600 editions of the “Weekly Journal of Rural America.” A retired officer in the Naval Reserve, Mr. Pearson and his family live on a farm in central Iowa, where he raises grain and livestock.

Mike Miller

Presenting the "Industry Overview" during Thursday's Industry Forum

Mr. Miller is the Chief Operating Officer of Cattle-Fax. In his 13 years with the organization, he has been heavily involved in the analysis and research areas. Miller’s current role with Cattle-Fax is focused on new business opportunities, the oversight and re-engineering of many Business Systems and he also leads the newly created Customized Solutions efforts for select Cattle-Fax clients. Mr. Miller is a graduate of Colorado State University.

Joel G. Newman

Presenting "Report from Feed Industry, Working Together" during Thursday's Industry Forum

Joel Newman was elected AFIA president in July 2004 and officially assumed his post in January 2005. He is only the seventh president in the association’s 101-year history. Mr. Newman’s prior AFIA affiliation included serving as chairman of the board and four terms as a director.

Newman has over three decades of diverse agribusiness career experience. He has served in several positions, from sales to CEO leadership, in various agri-business segments, including retail, petroleum, food processing, agronomy and commercial feed.

Newman completed his Bachelors degree in Animal Science at West Virginia University and his MBA in Finance at Syracuse University. He is a director of the International Feed Industry Federation, headquartered in the United Kingdom, is an appointed member of the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture’s Agriculture Technical Advisory Committee and serves on the U.S. Delegation for Codex Alimentarius. He also recently served on the President’s Food Safety Initiative.

Hugh Whaley

Presenting "Getting Agriculture Stories to the Public” during Thursday’s Industry Issues Forum

Hugh Whaley is Vice President, Client Management of AMR Management Services. Mr. Whaley is responsible for organizational consulting and strategic industry marketing, including advertising, public relations, reputation and issues management programs, for AMR’s not-for-profit associations and industry-funded organization clients. In this role, he also serves as General Manager for the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, a growing group of farmer- and rancher-led organizations and industry partners whose vision is to enhance public trust in today’s agriculture.

In his career, Mr. Whaley has served as director, Industry & Association Relations for Broadhead + Co, and president, Association Business for Osborn & Barr, both marketing communications companies. In those roles, he directed communications programs for organizations such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, United Soybean Board, National Pork Board, Cattlemen’s Beef Board, Propane Education & Research Council, U.S. Grains Council, American Lamb Board, USDA Rural Development and USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service. Mr. Whaley received a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Purdue University, and is a U.S. Navy veteran.