Gov. Glenn Youngkin

Gov. Glenn Youngkin is the 74th governor of Virginia. Born in Richmond and raised in Virginia Beach, Youngkin later moved to Northern Virginia and served as co-CEO for the Carlyle Group for 25 years. Since assuming office in 2022, the governor has passed the largest education budget in Virginia’s history, and works to reinvigorate job growth, public safety funding and shape other areas of policy.

Zippy Duvall

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker: Zippy Duvall is president of American Farm Bureau Federation. Duvall helped shape the 2018 Farm Bill and is working to ensure the 2023 Farm Bill effectively supports farmers and ranchers. He is a National 4-H founding luminary and served as Georgia Farm Bureau president and AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee chair. He and his son operate a beef cow herd, raise broiler chickens and grow hay, all while restoring their 90-year-old family farm.

Jason Brown

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker: Jason Brown is a man of faith, former professional athlete and community advocate. After his departure from the NFL, Brown pursued community service through agriculture. In 2012, he purchased a 1,000-acre farm in Louisburg, North Carolina. First Fruits Farm has since yielded 1 million pounds of produce for area food pantries and churches.

Travis Cushman

Travis Cushman is deputy general counsel for American Farm Bureau Federation and specializes in litigation and public policy. Cushman manages AFBF’s national litigation on all issues facing agriculture, including international trade, property rights, access to public lands and crop protection products. He also serves as the lobbyist team’s in-house lawyer. Cushman was born and raised in Virginia and participated in 4-H.

Keighley Gore

Keighley Gore of Frederick County received this year’s VFBF Distinguished Farm Bureau Woman Award, which honors involvement in a farm or agricultural business, an agricultural leadership role and participation in community activities. Through her work with the Frederick County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee, Gore has been integral in advocating for agricultural education. Additionally, she serves on the Frederick County Public Schools Agriculture Advisory Board, as well as the Virginia FFA Foundation board. She also serves on the Frederick County Extension Leadership Council as a member at large.

Timothy Jenkins

Timothy Jenkins is a territory customer support manager for John Deere, covering areas of Virginia, North and South Carolina and West Virginia. He has worked with John Deere customers and dealers for the past 27 years. He grew up on a family farm in Missouri, and holds a bachelor’s degree in ag mechanization from the University of Missouri.

Patrick Lucado

Patrick Lucado is field services manager for New Holland, where he has served North and South Carolina for the past five years. He previously worked 16 years for John Deere in a variety of service and sales positions, as well as owning a dealership. Lucado holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Virginia Tech.

Martha Moore

Martha Moore is senior vice president of governmental relations for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. Her responsibilities include managing Farm Bureau’s overall lobbying efforts at the local, state and national levels and handling issues related to the environment, forestry, land grant institutions and education, as well as any budget issues. Moore grew up on a farm in Pittsylvania County, which she now owns.

Veronica Nigh

Veronica Nigh is senior economist for American Farm Bureau Federation. Her duties include conducting research and policy analysis, and delivering information to AFBF members when shifts in policy related to international trade, taxes, labor, environmental issues and food safety occur. A native of Savannah, Missouri, Nigh grew up on a small, diversified livestock operation.

Dick Wittman

Dick Wittman is the owner of Wittman Consulting. He is a former manager of a 20,000-acre crop, cattle and timber family farm in Idaho. Through his consulting business, he offers seminars, workshops and private consulting services to farmers and agribusinesses. His specialties are financial and family business management, transition planning, process improvement, consultant training and conflict management.