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by Marc Ivey, FEMA Board President

As the title of “incoming FEMA President” sinks in, I am truly humbled to have the privilege and honor of serving you and our member companies as part of our Association’s leadership team.

I was blessed to grow up in the small rural community of Perryville, AL, where my maternal grandfather row-cropped a few hundred acres mixed with cattle and hog production. This was my introduction to the wonderful world of agriculture. Following college at Auburn University (War Eagle!), I was fortunate to hire on with Bush Hog as an entry-level design engineer. What an incredible opportunity—I actually got paid to design some really cool stuff while working with the greatest folks on earth in the agricultural community.

From farmers and ranchers to land managers, and contractors, to dealers and suppliers, we all shared a common bond: working to truly make the world a better place.

After 33-plus years in the ag industry, my passion and appreciation for the field continue to burn strong. I look forward to serving this coming year as your FEMA President.

Now to the work ahead. Our industry is currently facing one of the most challenging yet exciting times in recent history. From economic concerns like tariffs, low commodity prices, high input costs, and higher interest rates, to staffing and manpower shortages, the obstacles for today’s ag community are real.

On the flip side, emerging and evolving technologies—like artificial intelligence (AI), automation and robotics in the field, and precision agriculture, to name a few—are breaking down barriers and opening new opportunities every day for our farmers and dealers.

FEMA has been—and will continue to be—a unifying force in our ag community. One of the greatest and most universally valuable benefits of our Association is the chance to connect with the best and brightest minds in agriculture through your attendance at one of our biannual conferences.
As I noted in this message’s title, we are stronger together. But you have to be present to tap into the personal relationships, classroom learning sessions, and—more often than not—the conversations in the hallways or over a meal that bring incredible value to you and your firm through your involvement with FEMA.

Fortunately, we have a great opportunity to connect with our FEMA family this coming October in Las Vegas at the 2025 Marketing and Distribution Convention. From October 27–30 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, we’ll have the chance to explore exciting emerging technologies, make new business connections with fellow manufacturers and suppliers, and—probably most importantly—develop and grow friendships with our ag community.

As an added bonus, we are celebrating FEMA’s 75th anniversary this year, and your FEMA staff is planning an exciting and memorable experience for us in Las Vegas.

Registration opens July 14, so be sure to get your name on the list of attendees! I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas in October!