80th South Carolina Farm Bureau Annual Meeting

Bryan Smith is the County Coordinator for the Laurens County Extension Office. He is also the chair of the SC Confined Animal Manure Managers Program, which is a required program for all SC confined animal facility owners, and the Laurens County Master Gardener Program coordinator. He earned his Bachelors of Science degree in agricultural engineering from Clemson University in 1995 and earned his Maters degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of South Carolina in 1996.

Bryan's interests include animal manure management, livestock watering systems, and commercial, residential and agricultural irrigation systems.

Bryan was born on a family farm centered around commercial beef cattle and hay production.

Christopher Thomas currently serves as the State Weather Station Technician with Clemson University's Cooperative Extension Service. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural mechanization and business from Clemson in 2021. Christopher is housed at Sandhill Research and Education Center.

A native of Lamar, S.C., Nobel Peace Prize Laureate David M. Beasley has a distinguished career of public service dedicated to the people of South Carolina, the United States, and the world. 

A graduate of Clemson University AND the University of South Carolina, David was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives at age 20 in 1978. He would go on to serve in the S.C. House for 16 years and hold a variety of different leadership positions including Majority Whip, Majority Leader, and Speaker Pro Tempore.

In 1994, David was elected as the 113^th Governor of South Carolina, serving from 1995 to 1999. During his tenure as Governor, he focused on economic development, welfare reform, and education. His pro-business initiatives, including the Enterprise Zone Act of 1995, resulted in more than $11 billion in capital investments and the addition of 50,000 jobs in South Carolina.  

Following his time as Governor, he taught at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government then spent more than a decade traveling the world on behalf of initiatives to integrate the less economically developed countries into the global economy in the face of many obstacles.

In 2017, David was selected to become the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program, the largest humanitarian organization in the world. Under his leadership, the organization fed and otherwise assisted hundreds of millions of individuals across the globe experiencing food-insecurity and famine. The organization was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its work in the global fight against hunger. He stepped down from the organization in 2023.

Jolene Brown is a walking-talking spokesperson and champion for the people of agriculture.  She's a farmer in Eastern Iowa, contributor to Successful Farming magazine’s popular family business column, author of two great books and an inductee into the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame. Her worldwide audiences appreciate her fun-filled spirit and valuable information. She's on a mission to share leading-edge best practices, appreciation, laughter and celebration to increase productivity, profitability and peace of mind.  

To learn more, visit her website.

Jonathan holds a B.S. in agricultural mechanization and business and an M.S. in plant and environmental sciences, both from Clemson University. He delivers educational programming in row crop production in Orangeburg, Dorchester, and Berkeley Counties and is a Private Pesticide Applicator Coordinator. His primary areas of expertise are cotton, peanut, soybean, and corn production

Kyle Player is the Executive Director for the Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship (ACRE) housed under the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. She currently manages the program with an emphasis on the Entrepreneurship Center and Grants. She serves as the liaison between all persons working with ACRE within the Department and outside the Department. Previously she lived in Washington, DC, where she worked for Airlines for America, a trade association that worked with Congress and the Administration on behalf of major U.S. airlines. She received her undergraduate degree in parks, recreation and tourism management and Masters Degree in community recreation/youth development from Clemson University.

Kyle Smith grew up in Clinton, SC and later went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 2021. Following his undergraduate studies, Kyle obtained a Master of Science degree in agronomy from Clemson University in May of 2023. He is currently an Agronomy Agent for Clemson Cooperative Extension, serving counties throughout the Pee Dee Region of South Carolina. An advocate for agriculture, Kyle is a member of South Carolina Farm Bureau and strives to provide valuable resources and education to his stakeholders and those he serves.