The 19th annual Arkansas State University Agribusiness Conference will be held Wednesday, February 13, 2013 in the ASU Fowler and Convocation Centers in Jonesboro, Arkansas. On-site registration begins at 8:00 AM in the Fowler Center. Lunch will be served in the Convocation Center at Noon. Afternoon sessions end at 3:45 PM.
Joining the ASU College of Agriculture & Technology as conference sponsors are: the Judd Hill Foundation, AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, Allenberg Cotton Company, Arkansas Farm Bureau, Bunge North America, Busch Agricultural Resources, Farm Credit Midsouth, Glaub Farm Management, Greenway Equipment, Inc., Helena Chemical Company, Liberty Bank of Arkansas, Riceland Foods, Inc., RiceTec, Inc., and the USA Rice Federation.
The morning General Session features four speakers and a panel discussion. Jerry Roell, Director of the John Deere FarmSight and WorkSite programs will report on developments in agricultural technology. Texas A&M economist Joe Outlaw will discuss the 2013 Farm Bill and its impact on Midsouth Agriculture.
Following the morning break, James Bullard, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will discuss the U.S. Economy and Monetary Policy and Michigan State University economist David Schweikhardt will discuss Lessons from the 2013 Farm Bill Debate.
A panel of all General Session speakers will discuss issues and take questions from the audience.
The Luncheon Address will be delivered by Bart Chilton, Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
The afternoon program features four special interest sessions.
Thomas Erickson, of Bunge North America, Carl Brothers of Riceland Foods, and Bart Chilton of the CFTC will discuss Price Risk Management Issues.
Jeff Johnson of Allenberg Cotton Co. and Carl Brothers of Riceland Foods will discuss rice and cotton market issues and outlook.
In the Livestock Industry Session, Arkansas Cattlemen's Association Executive Vice President Adam McClung will discuss livestock market trends and issues.
University of Arkansas economist Ron Rainey will report on the MarketMaker direct marketing program for locally grown food.
Continuing education credits are available according to guidelines of the Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy, the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, the Arkansas Certified Crop Advisors and Arkansas Crop Consultants, and the Arkansas Department of Education.
Admission to the conference and luncheon is free, but preregistration is encouraged. Conference information and on-line registration are available on the ASU College of Agriculture & Technology web site http://agri.astate.edu.
For telephone registration, contact Ms. Phyllis Johnson at 870-972-2085 or pjohnson@astate.edu