Plenary Session and Webcast

Welcome
John Norris
Chief of Staff, USDA
Webcast
Transcript

Distinguished Guest Speaker
Lawrence H. Summers
Director of the National Economic Council
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
Webcast
Transcript

Keynote Address
Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture
Webcast
Transcript

2009 Agricultural Economic Outlook
Foreign Trade Outlook
Joseph Glauber
Chief Economist, USDA
Webcast
Speech
Presentation
Transcript

Distinguished Panel: Food & Energy: Expectations & Realities

Webcast

Moderator: Sara Wyant
President, Agri-Pulse Communications
Transcript

Agricultural Technology
Michael Mack
CEO, Syngenta International AG
Transcript

Food Prices & Market
Chris Policinski
President & CEO, Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Presentation
Transcript

Energy
Aaron Brady
Director, Global Oil, Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Inc.
Speech

Speeches and Presentations

Speeches and PowerPoint presentations are posted in PDF format.

Thursday, 1:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Rural America Track

The Effects of “Rural” on Agriculture – The Changing
Paradigm
Moderator: Neil Conklin, President/CEO, Farm Foundation,
Oak Brook, Illinois

Funding Rural Development Programs: Past, Present,
and Future
Galen Fountain, Majority Clerk, Senate Agricultural
Appropriations Committee, Washington, DC
Speech

Are Farmers More Dependent on Rural Communities
Than Rural Communities Are Dependant on Farmers?
Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation,
Washington, DC
Speech

Rural Development and Funding from a State
Perspective: State-Federal Funding Relationships
Carole Jordan, Director of Agriculture Marketing and
Community Development, Topeka, KS
Presentation

Measuring Agriculture Track

The Count That Counts: The Census of Agriculture
& Policy Decisions - Changes in “Rural” America
Moderator: Cynthia Clark, Administrator, National
Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, Washington, DC

2007 Census of Agriculture Highlights
Carol House, Deputy Administrator, Programs and
Products, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA,
Washington, DC
Presentation

The Changing Face of U.S. Agriculture
Virginia Harris, Statistician, National Agricultural Statistics
Service, USDA, Washington, DC

The Cutting Edge: Emerging Issues
Kevin Barnes, Chief, Environmental, Economics and
Demographics Branch, National Agricultural Statistics
Service, USDA, Washington, DC

Implications for Future Farm Programs and Policy
Craig Jagger, Chief Economist, House Agriculture
Committee, Washington, DC
Presentation

Food Security/World Markets Track

Global & Domestic Perspectives on Food Security
Audio

Moderator: Pat Sheikh, Deputy Administrator, Office of
Capacity Building and Development, Foreign Agricultural
Service, USDA, Washington, DC

U.S. Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs: How
Good is the Safety Net?
Steven Carlson, Director, Office of Research, Nutrition,
and Analysis, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA,
Alexandria, VA
Presentation

The Rest of the Story: Community Food
Assistance — A View from the Grass Roots
George Braley, Senior Vice President of Government
Relations and Public Policy, Feeding America,
Washington, DC
Presentation

Global Safety Net: The New Challenges Facing
Food Aid
Allan Jury, Director, U.S. Relations Office, World Food
Programme, Washington, DC
Speech

Conservation Track

Quantifying Practices with the Conservation Effects
Assessment Project (CEAP)
Moderator: Lisa Duriancik, Coordinator, Conservation
Effects Assessment Project, Natural Resources
Conservation Service, USDA, Washington, DC

The CEAP National Assessment — Cropland:
The River Basin Studies
Bob Kellogg, Agricultural Economist/CEAP-Cropland
Leader, Resources Inventory and Assessment Division,
Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD

Effects of Conservation Practices on Environmental
Quality in Small Watersheds—The Agricultural
Research Service Benchmark Watershed Projects
Mark R. Walbridge, National Program Leader, Soil and
Water Resource Management, Natural Resources and
Sustainable Agricultural Systems, Agricultural Research
Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD
Presentation

Measuring the Effects of Agricultural Conservation
Practices on Water Quality at the Watershed Scale —
The CSREES Competitive Grants Watershed Projects
Mike O’Neill, National Program Leader, Water Resources,
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service; USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Commodities/Food Prices Track

Food Price Outlook
Audio

Moderator: Chuck Abbott, Commodities Journalist, Reuters,
Washington, DC

Food Price Outlook
Ephraim Leibtag, Economist, Economic Research Service,
USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

The Role of Commodity Prices in Food Inflation in
the United States
William Lapp, Advanced Economic Solutions, Omaha, NB
Presentation

Is Increased Global Grain Price Volatility Here
to Stay?
Christopher Delgado, Strategy and Policy Advisor,
Agriculture and Rural Development Department, The
World Bank, Washington, DC
Presentation

Thursday, 3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Rural America Track

Ag & Rural Policy: United States & European Union
Moderator: Charles W. Fluharty, Vice President for Policy Programs, Rural Policy Research Institute, Columbia, MO

How Does the EU Define “Rural and Agriculture”?
An Update on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Roger Waite, Editor, AGRA FACTS / AGRA FOCUS,
Brussels, Belgium
Presentation

What Is the Future of Rural and Agricultural Policy
in the United States?
Thomas Dorr, Former Under Secretary for Rural Development, USDA, Washington, DC

Farmer-to-Farmer Perspective
Tom Buis, President, National Farmers Union, Washington, DC

Measuring Agriculture Track

Farm Income Outlook
Audio

Moderator: James M. Zavrel, Chief, Regional Income
Branch, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department
of Commerce, Washington, DC

Farm Finance: The Outlook for Farm Businesses and
the U.S. Farm Sector in 2009
Ted Covey, Farm and Rural Business Branch, Economic
Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Household Finance: The Outlook for Farm Household
Income, Wealth, and Well-Being
Mary Ahearn, Farm and Rural Household Branch, Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Impacts of a Changing Rural Economy on Farm
Businesses and Households
Matthew Fannin, Assistant Professor, Agricultural
Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge, LA
Presentation

Food Security/World Markets Track

Impact of Volatile Prices on World Food Markets
Moderator: Sarahelen “Sally” Thompson, Director,
Market and Trade Economics Division, Economic Research
Service, USDA, Washington, DC

Factors Contributing to the Recent Increase in Food
Commodity Prices
Ronald Trostle, Senior Economist, Market and Trade Economics Division, Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Technology and Resource Constraints Affecting Market
Response to Higher Prices
Siwa Msangi, Research Fellow, Environment and Production
Technology Division International Food Policy Research
Institute, Washington, DC
Presentation

The Boom, The Bust, and Now …
Pat Westhoff, Co-Director, Food and Agricultural Policy
Research Institute, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Presentation

Policy Responses to Volatile Prices and Food Security
Wayne Jones, Division Head, Agri-food Trade and Markets,
Directorate for Trade and Agriculture, Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, France
Presentation

Conservation Track

What’s the Buzz about Pollinators?
Moderator: Doug Holy, National Invasive Species
Specialist & National Headquarters DC Pollinator Contact,
Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA,
Washington, DC

The Global Pollinator Situation and Potential Environmental Impacts
May R. Berenbaum, Professor and Department Head,
Entomology Department, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
Presentation

Pollination Economics
Scott M. Swinton, Professor, Aldo Leopold Leadership
Program Fellow; Department of Agricultural, Food and
Resource Economics; Michigan State University, East
Lansing, MI
Presentation

Present and Future Beekeeping
Gabriele Ludwig, Senior Manager, Global Technical &
Regulatory Affairs, Almond Board of California, Modesto, CA
Presentation

Barry Thompson, Thompson Apiaries, Member of the
Scientific Committee, American Beekeeping Federation;
Board of Directors, Eastern Apicultural Society; Research
Collaborator, USDA, Beltsville, MD
Presentation

Global Efforts Underway
Michael Ruggiero, Director, Integrated Taxonomic
Information System, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Presentation

USDA Efforts Underway
Kevin Hackett, Agricultural Research Service Senior
National Program Leader, Invasive Insects and Bees,
USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Commodities/Food Prices Track

Commodity Funds: Impact on Price Discovery
Moderator: Tom Coyle, Chairman, National Grain and
Feed Association, Chicago, IL

From an Index/Hedge Fund Perspective
Timothy Rudderow, President, Mount Lucas Management
Corp., Princeton, NJ
Presentation

From an Exchange Perspective
Dave Lehman, Director, Commodity Research & Product
Development, CME Group, Global Headquarters, Chicago, IL
Presentation

From a CFTC Perspective
Gregory Kuserk, Deputy Director for Market Surveillance,
Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Washington, DC
Presentation

Outlook Forum Dinner
Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Speech
Audio

Commodity Outlooks

Grains & Oilseeds Outlook
William Chambers, Economist, Farm Service Agency,
Washington, DC
PDF

USDA Cotton Outlook
Steven Neff, Agricultural Economist, Economic and Policy
Analysis Staff, Farm Service Agency, USDA, Washington, DC
PDF

Livestock & Poultry Outlook
Shayle Shagam, Livestock & Poultry Analyst, World Agricultural
Outlook Board, USDA, Washington, DC
PDF

Outlook for Dairy Industry
Shayle Shagam, Livestock & Poultry Analyst, World Agricultural Outlook Board, USDA
PDF

Sugar Outlook
Stephen Haley, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF

Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Rural America Track

Paying Dividends on Investments in Rural America
Moderator: Matthew Chase, Executive Director, National
Association of Development Organizations, Washington, DC

Measuring the Economic Impact of Federal Dollars
on Rural Economies
Thomas Johnson, Program Director, Rural Policy Research Institute, Socio-Economic Benefit Assessment System, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Presentation

USDA Rural Development
Bill Hagy, Acting Deputy Under Secretary, Rural
Development, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Creating a Model Community in a Regional
Environment
The Honorable Timothy Penny, Former Member of
Congress, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation,
Owatonna, MN
Presentation

Private Investments in Rural America: Is There
an Effective Model?
Bill Crump, Director of Government Relations, Viking
Range Corporation, Greenwood, MO

Energy Track

Wind Power: What’s In It for Rural America?
Moderator: Lisa Daniels, Executive Director, Windustry,
Minneapolis, MN

Bargaining for Better Wind Royalties
Grant Stumbough, Coordinator, SE Wyoming, USDA RC&D,
Wheatland, WY
Presentation

Wind & Wilderness
Meera Kohler, President/CEO, Alaska Village Electric
Cooperative, Anchorage, AK
Presentation

How Wind Power Benefits Consumer Owners of Rural
Electric Co-ops
Ron Rebenitsch, Manager of Alternative Technologies, Basin
Electric Co-op, Bismarck, ND
Presentation

Food Safety Track

Imported Food Safety and Food Defense
Moderator: Rob Williams, Agriculture-Veterinary Counsellor,
Australian Embassy Washington, DC

FSIS Import Safety Activities
Ronald K. Jones, Assistant Administrator, Office of Catfish Inspection Programs, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Catfish Inspection
William P. Milton, Jr., Assistant Administrator, Office of
Catfish Inspection Programs, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

FSIS Food Defense Activities
Erin Dreyling, Director, Data Analysis and Integration
Group, Office of Food Protection, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Conservation Track

Markets for Environmental Services: Carbon &
Greenhouse Gases
Audio

Moderator: William Hohenstein, Director, Office of
Global Climate Change, USDA, Washington, DC

Opportunities for Farm and Forest Within the
Chicago Climate Exchange and Lessons Learned
From Experiences in Agriculture and the Carbon
Markets
Mike Walsh, Chicago Climate Exchange, Inc.,
Chicago, IL
Presentation

Topic To Be Announced
Tim Profeta, Director, Nicholas Institute, Duke University,
Durham, NC
Presentation

Obstacles and Opportunities for Farmers and
Ranchers in a Federal Cap and Trade System 
Richard K. Krause, Farm Bureau, Senior Director,
Congressional, Relations American Farm Bureau
Federation, Washington, DC
Presentation

Commodities Track

Grains & Oilseeds Outlook
Audio

Moderator: Kay Simmons, National Program Leader,
Plant Genetics & Grain Crops, Agricultural Research
Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD

Grains & Oilseeds Outlook
William Chambers, Economist, Farm Service Agency,
Washington, DC
PDF

Risk Management Challenges in a Changing Crop
Nutrient Industry
Keith Swanson, Manager, Crop Nutrient Dealer Risk
Management Services, CHS Inc., St. Paul, MN
Presentation

Why Genomics Are Important to Maintain
Competitiveness of U.S. Soybeans
Ed Ready, Production Program Manager, United Soybean
Board, St. Louis, MO
Presentation

Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Rural America Track

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE): SARE’s 20 Years of Partnerships and Progress
Moderator: Jill S. Auburn, SARE Director, Sustainable
Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; USDA, Washington, DC

Crop Diversity on a 4,400-Acre Grain Farm in
Washington State
Karl Kupers, Marketing Manager, Shepherd’s Grain,
Harrington, WA
Presentation

How an Oklahoma Cashmere-Goat Farmer Reduced
Risk and Increased Income
Claud Evans, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Okemah,
OK
Presentation

A Practical, Farmer-oriented Approach to Growing
Vegetables in Connecticut
Jude Boucher, Agricultural Educator, University of
Connecticut, Cooperative Extension, Vernon, CT
Presentation

SARE’s Young New Voices
Shoshanah Inwood, Research Scientist, Ohio State
University, Columbus, OH
Presentation

Energy Track

Implementing the Renewable Fuels Standards
Moderator: Roger Conway, Director of the Office of
Energy Policy and New Uses, USDA, Washington, DC

Rule’s Effects on Rural America
Bruce Babcock, Professor, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Presentation

DOE’s Role in Implementing the Renewable Fuels
Standards
Carmen Difiglio, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy
Analysis, Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Presentation

Effects of the Renewable Fuels Standards on the Investment Perspective
Ann Duignan, Securities Analyst, J.P. Morgan Securities, New York, New York
Presentation

Food Safety Track

One World, One Health: Issues at the Intersection of Animal & Human Health
Moderator: Cindy J. Smith, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA, Washington, DC

One Health: A Concept for the 21st Century
Laura H. Kahn, MD, Research Scholar, Program on
Science and Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School
of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University,
Princeton, NJ
Presentation

One Health: Assuming Our Collaborative
Responsibility
Roger Mahr, Former President, American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA), Representative to the One
Health Joint Steering Committee, Washington, DC
Presentation

The Importance of the Animal, Health-food, Safety,
Public Health Continuum and the Use of Public-Private Partnerships to Address Long-term Solutions
Mike Robach, Vice President, Corporate Food Safety and
Regulatory Affairs, Cargill, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Presentation

The Animal/Human Interface-from Wildlife Trade
to Avian Influenza: A Global Perspective on
Implications for the United States
Kristine Smith, Wildlife Veterinarian, Assistant Director
for Field Programs, Global Health Program, Wildlife
Conservation Society, Bronx, NY
Presentation

Conservation Track

Cotton Outlook
Moderator: John Scruggs, U.S. Editor, Cotlook, Ltd.,
Memphis, TN

USDA Cotton Outlook
Steven Neff, Agricultural Economist, Economic and Policy
Analysis Staff, Farm Service Agency, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

The Challenges Facing the Texas Cotton Industry
Wally Darneille, President and CEO, Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, Lubbock, TX
Presentation

Production and Policy in China-Xinjiang
Clyde Davidson, Vice President, Research, Allenberg Cotton
Company, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Cordova, TN

Volatility and Change in the Cotton Futures Market:
Lessons from the Past Year
Mike Stevens, Cotton Futures Specialist, SFS Futures/Swiss
Financial Services, Mandeville, LA
Presentation

Commodities Track

Livestock & Poultry Outlook
Audio

Moderator: Warren Preston, Associate Deputy Administrator
and Chief, Livestock and Grain Market News Branch, Livestock
and Seed Program, Agricultural Marketing Service, Agricultural
Marketing Service, USDA, Washington, DC

Livestock & Poultry Outlook
Shayle Shagam, Livestock & Poultry Analyst, World Agricultural
Outlook Board, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Commodity Price Volatility and Recession: How Do
Restaurants Cope?
Kevin Bost, President, Procurement Strategies, Inc.,
Des Plaines, IL
Presentation

The Impact of the Economic Slowdown at the Retail
Meat Case
Rick Dawrant, President, Lucid Partners, St. Charles, IL
Presentation

Commodity Luncheons

12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Specialty Crops
Maintaining Green: The Long History of the Environmental and Sustainability Movement Within the Wine Industry
Moderator: Thomas A. Bewick, National Program Leader, Horticulture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, USDA, Washington, DC

Chris Savage, Senior Director, Global Environmental Affairs,
E & J Gallo Winery, Modesto, CA
Presentation

Sugar & Sweeteners
Sweetener Consumption and Human Health
Moderator: William Janis, International Economist, Sugar and Dairy Branch, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA, Washington, DC

Eric Hentges, Executive Director, North American Branch, International Life Sciences Institute, Washington, DC
Presentation

Grains & Oilseeds
Beyond the Agricultural Economy: Macroeconomic Forces Moving the Sector Today
Moderator: Joy Harwood, Director of Economic and Policy Staff, Farm Service Agency, USDA, Washington, DC

Bob Young, Chief Economist, American Farm Bureau, Washington, DC
Speech
Audio

Cotton & Fibers
My 43 Years in the Cotton Business
Moderator: Charles V. Cunningham, President, Cunningham Associates, Mineral, VA

Neal P. Gillen, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, American Cotton Shippers Association, Washington, DC
Speech

Livestock & Poultry
Wall Street's View of Protein Companies
Moderator: Joel Greene, Livestock and Dairy Analysts, World Agricultural Outlook Board, USDA, Washington, DC

Farha Aslam, Managing Director, Stephens, Inc., New York, NY
Presentation
Audio

Friday, 1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

West Africa Cotton Overview
Robert Hanson, Agricultural Attaché, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA, Dakar, Senegal
Presentation

Friday, 1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

Transportation Track

Transportation Issues: Now and Tomorrow
Moderator: David R. Shipman, Associate Administrator,
Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, Washington, DC

Overview of the U.S. Transportation System
Kendell Keith, President, National Grain and Feed
Association, Washington, DC
Presentation

Rail Issues for U.S. Agriculture
Paul E. Hammes, Vice President and General Manager, Agricultural Products Marketing and Sales, Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha, NB
Presentation

Agricultural Opportunities in Ocean Shipping
Donna Lemm, Director of Client Services, Mallory
Alexander International Logistics, Memphis, TN
Presentation

Energy Track

Sugar & Renewable Fuels
Moderator: Ron Lord, Chief, Sugar and Dairy Branch,
Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service,
USDA, Washington, DC

Prospects for Brazil’s Sugar and the Ethanol Industry
Plinio Nastari, President of Datagro Publicacoes Ltda,
Barureri, Brazil
Presentation

Impacts of Increased U.S. Ethanol Production on the
U.S. and Mexico Sweetener Markets
Owen Wagner, Senior Economist, LMC International Ltd., Washington, DC
Presentation

Prospects for Producing Ethanol from Sugar in the United States
Joe Outlaw, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University,College Station, TX
Presentation

Trade Policy Track

What’s Next for the Multi-lateral Trading System?
Moderator: Paul Blustein, Journalist in Residence,
The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC

Moving Forward on the Doha Round: How to Balance
the Multiple Equations?
Jeffery Schott, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute of International Economics, Washington, DC
Speech

Reform of Agricultural Trade Policies: A Continuum
or Stalemate?
David Roberts, Former Deputy Director General, DG-Agri, European Commission, London, United Kingdom
Speech

Developing Countries in Multi-lateral Trade Negotiations:
What Stands in the Way of a Trade Agreement?
M. Ann Tutwiler, Managing Director, Trade and Development, Global Poverty Program, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Washington, DC
Presentation

Farm Policy Track

Risk Management & the New Farm Bill
Moderator: Joy Harwood, Director of Economic and
Policy Staff, Farm Service Agency, USDA, Washington, DC

Production Costs and Farm Revenue from Both the
Banker and Farmer Perspectives
Robert Craven, Director, Center for Farm Financial
Management, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
Presentation

The ACRE and SURE Programs
Carl Zulauf, McCormick Professor of Agricultural Marketing and Policy, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Presentation

Issues Associated with the New Farm Bill
Brad Karmen, Assistant to the Deputy Administrator for
Farm Programs, Farm Service Agency, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Commodities Track

Dairy Outlook
Audio

Moderator: Shayle Shagam, Livestock & Poultry Analyst, World Agricultural Outlook Board, USDA, Washington, DC

Dairy Outlook
Roger Hoskin, Agricultural Economist, Economic Research
Service, USDA, Washington, DC
Presentation

Milk Price Volatility: What's Old is New
Mark Stephenson, Senior Extension Associate, Department
of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University,
Ithaca, NY
Presentation

Marketing Dairy Products During Price Volatility
Don Street, President and CEO, Ecoval Dairy Trade, Inc.
Wayne, PA
Presentation