RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Food industry and agricultural leaders, trade officials, entrepreneurs and others will gather in Virginia’s capital in March to discuss challenges and opportunities for agricultural exports. Gov. Ralph Northam will co-host the 10th annual Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade on March 5 at the Richmond Marriott Hotel. Northam will speak about his administration’s plans to promote Virginia agriculture and forestry products around the world. Virginia is one of the top agriculture and forestry exporting states on the East Coast. In 2016, the state exported $2.77 billion in these products. Other conference speakers will include: Jim Perdue, chief executive officer of Perdue Farms; Ted McKinney, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs; Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation; and Bettina Ring, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry.
