Each winter as we turn the corner on another new year, the thoughts of farmers automatically turn to the farming situation and outlook for another crop year. And each year in February the U.S. Department of Agriculture turns to its experts to assess where the industry stands.
This year the Agricultural Outlook Forum for 2011, entitled, Today's Strategies and Tomorrow's Opportunities, will attempt to set the vision for growers heading into a new year. Christine Cochran, president of Commodity Markets Council will be this year's moderator. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will deliver the Keynote Address this year.
Some other highly respected sources will lay out the domestic agricultural industry's prospects for 2011. USDA's chief economist Joseph Glauber will define the Domestic and Foreign Outlook. Nariman Behravesh, chief economist with HIS Global Insight will discuss Critical Issues Shaping the Global Economic Outlook.
Charles Whitman, founder and CEO, Infinium Capital Management will talk about Electronic Trading and the Globalization of Grain Markets and Peter Nessler, president, FCStone will make a presentation on A Brokerage Firm's Approach to Risk Management.
2010 continued to be a difficult economic environment for both the nation and the world. C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics will look at the topic of World Economic Recovery and Growth Prospects.
In addition there will be many concurrent technical sessions on a wide range of topics over the two days of the conference, from discussion of critical thinking in risk management to the way forward on renewable energy and the various agricultural sector outlooks.
The Agricultural Outlook Forum 2011 will be held Feb. 24-25 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va. Early Bird Registration is $350 until Jan. 21. Registration is $375 after Jan. 21.
Learn more at http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/.