A gamut of agriculture industry issues will be discussed by experts at the Ohio AgriBusiness Association’s annual Industry Conference Feb. 1-2 at the Columbus Marriott Northwest.

According to Chris Henney, OABA president and CEO, the conference is designed to provide in-depth education and networking opportunities for agribusiness professionals. It also includes the OABA industry dinner and annual meeting.

Now in its fifth year, the conference continues to grow and attracted more than 300 industry professionals last year. Deadline to register is Jan. 22.

UP, UP AND AWAY: Unmanned aerial vehicles will be one of the topics covered at the Ohio AgriBusiness Association’s annual conference in February.

“At this year’s conference, we’re ‘framing the future’ by addressing upcoming challenges and opportunities in agriculture and ensuring our attendees are prepared to meet the needs of a diverse consumer base,” says Henney.

Widely ­respected speakers and industry professionals will share their expertise during the two-day conference, Henney says. Topics include:
• consumer perceptions
• generational differences
• unmanned aerial vehicles
• federal worker protection standards|
• biologicals
• nitrogen management
• Food Safety Modernization Act
• algal bloom management
• climate variability

General session topics include a fertilizer and ag market economy update, consumer panel, generations discussion and climate update.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Mark Jewell, presenting on “Thriving Across Generations: Embracing Our Differences to Achieve Success.” Jewell is a speaker, trainer and coach who uses stories from his Minnesota farm past to teach lessons relevant to today. A complete agenda is at the Ohio AgriBusiness Association website.

Continuing education units (CEUs) are available for both Certified Crop Advisers and state licensed pesticide applicators.

As an added bonus to conference attendees, Ohio State University Extension will offer its agricultural fertilizer certification program at the conclusion of the conference. The course is required of those applying fertilizer (other than manure) to more than 50 acres used for agriculture production grown primarily for sale. For more information and to register, visit nutrienteducation.osu.edu.

Source: OABA