Policy makers, producers, consumers and suppliers in the American food, feed and fuel system are strategizing to identify direction and added value for the system’s future. This fall’s Agribusiness Forum will give you a glimpse into the role each of these entities expects to play in the evolving marketplace here and across the globe as we explore the Global Forces Shaping Agriculture. We will hear from noted economists, innovative producers, consumer food marketers, commodity leaders as well as bio-fuels experts, as they set the stage for how your business will add value to this evolving system now and in the future.

Join us November 14-15 in Kansas City for the 2006 Agribusiness Forum hosted by the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA). Once again, the Agribusiness Forum will be at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center (near the NAFB convention hotel).

The early registration deadline for the Forum is just a couple of weeks away. Register now for the Forum before the rates increase after October 26.

To register for the Agribusiness Forum before the early deadline visit, https://nama.org/forum/register.htm.

The Forum will take place at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center (near the NAFB hotel) and the cut-off date for making your reservations is also October 26. Reservations made after the 26th are subject to higher rates and potential unavailability. 

To make your hotel reservations, contact the Hyatt Regency Crown Center at 816-421-1234. Make sure you mention the “NAMA Agribusiness Forum” when making your reservations.

We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City at the 2006 Agribusiness Forum!

The early registration deadline and hotel cut-off date for the 2006 Agribusiness Forum is Thursday, October 26. After October 26, registration rates will increase and any hotel reservations made after October 26 are subject to higher rates and potential unavailability.

To register for the Agribusiness Forum before the early deadline visit, https://nama.org/forum/register.htm.

To make your hotel reservations before the cut-off date, contact the Hyatt Regency Crown Center at 816-421-1234. Make sure you mention the “NAMA Agribusiness Forum” when making your reservations.

For more information on the sessions at the upcoming Forum visit, http://www.nama.org/forum.

Kick-off Session
Tuesday, November 14 (2:00 – 3:15 p.m.)

Global Forces Shaping Agriculture
Jim Wiesemeyer, Informa Economics, Inc.

The rapid emergence of the bio fuels industry has shifted production emphasis from food and feed to fuel. Global economic pressures are impacting where and how products are grown. And, consumer trends further compound this very complicated picture. Policy makers struggle to adapt regulation and trade agreements under this rapidly changing production landscape. Noted economist and Washington observer, Jim Wiesemeyer, will set the stage for our look at the Global Forces Shaping Agriculture as he explains the interaction of these global forces and Washington’s reaction.

Jim Wiesemeyer is Vice President of Policy and Trade Issues for Informa Economics Inc.’s Washington, D.C. office. He is also the Washington consultant to Pro Farmer newsletter. Besides writing for Informa Economics’ daily Morning Comments, Jim has a column, Inside Washington Today, on AgWeb.com.

To register for the Agribusiness Forum visit, http://nama.org/forum/register.htm.

For more information on the Forum and the speakers visit, http://www.nama.org/forum/index.html.

Tuesday, November 14 (3:30 – 5:00 p.m.)

Feeling the Pressure – Producers Who Have Adapted
Moderator: Don Wick, Red River Farm Network
Tyler Bruch, Bruchside Farms – Emmetsburg, IA & Bahia, Brazil
David Durham, Don Heil Farms & Paseo Biofuels – Hardin, MO
John Vrieze, Emerald Dairy – Baldwin, WI & Moscow, Russia

How are large producers helping the agriculture industry keep up with these changes and becoming a driving influence for suppliers? This producer panel is made up of a group of innovative individuals who have uniquely positioned their businesses for long term economic profitability. From a Wisconsin dairy producer who has connections to Moscow, Russia, to a producer who has expanded into South America; agricultural producers are crossing the globe, and managing these large businesses with a strategic focus to the end user. Veteran farm broadcaster, Don Wick, Red River Farm Network, will moderate this panel which will surely give marketing professionals new insights into production agriculture.

Don Wick is currently a farm broadcaster with the Red River Farm Network, Grand Forks, North Dakota. Previously, Don has led farm broadcast efforts at WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and WNAX in Yankton, South Dakota. Don is a two-time winner of the “Oscars in Agriculture” for excellence in agricultural journalism and is a past president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don is a columnist for DairyStar and publishes an electronic newsletter.

Tyler Bruch, Bruchside Farms, left his family farm in Emmetsburg, Iowa, after graduating from Iowa State University, three years ago to start a farming operation in LEM, Bahia, Brazil. He currently manages about 11,000 acres of soybeans, cotton and popcorn on acreage he owns and rents for investors through his company, Global Ag Investments. Next year, he plans to plant over 20,000 acres.

John Vrieze, Baldwin, WI, a third-generation dairy producer, owns an interest in more than 3,000 dairy cows in Wisconsin and Russia. John partners in the Emerald Dairy and Baldwin Dairy, as well as a transition management facility in Baldwin. He serves on the board of the Russian Farm Community Project that operates a 500-cow dairy 60 miles north of Moscow.

Welcome Reception/ABEF Casino Night
(5:30 – 7:30 p.m.)

Network with your peers as you view the regional Best of NAMA entries and participate in a “Casino Night” to benefit the Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF).

If you are interested in sponsorship for the “Casino Night,” contact Eldon White at [email protected].

To register for the Agribusiness Forum visit, http://nama.org/forum/register.htm.

For more information on the Forum and the speakers visit, http://www.nama.org/forum/index.html.

Wednesday, November 15

Continental Breakfast
(7:30 – 8:00 a.m.)

General Session
(8:00 – 9:10 a.m.)

Organic Foods – From Fad to Trend?
There is an increasing interest among consumers about where their food comes from, the conditions in which it is grown, and even the people involved in growing it. With the recent introduction of organic foods in Wal-Mart stores, and the growth in the number of producers and food processors selling private label products that are “organic,” “whole,” or “natural,” consumers are given a wider choice of how their food is grown. This session will explore what is behind this interest and why is this trend growing…or is it?

To register for the Agribusiness Forum visit, http://nama.org/forum/register.htm. 

For more information on the Forum sessions and our speakers, visit, http://nama.org/forum/index.html.

Wednesday, November 15 (9:30 – 11:00 a.m.)

Bio Fuels – Pressures Fueling the Ag Industry
Moderator: Mike Adams, AgriTalk
Rick Tolman, National Corn Growers Association
Neil Dierks, National Pork Producers Council
Kendell Keith, National Feed & Grain Association

Energy prices have certainly been center stage during the recent past. The push to redirect corn and soybeans into the fuel industry has certainly raised questions about the long term viability of satisfying the needs for food, feed and fuel. Critics disagree on the long term ability for agriculture to satisfy the demand. However, they agree that something must be done to reduce dependency on petroleum and increase the use of fuels from renewable resources. A panel of industry experts impacted by these developments will help us understand the pressures emerging within agriculture to satisfy these needs and what might lay ahead for bio-based fuels.

Mike Adams is the host of AgriTalk, a nationally syndicated talk show on agriculture-related topics. He joined AgriTalk in 2001, after spending 27 years with WLDS Radio in Jacksonville, Illinois, primarily as the farm director. Mike’s travels include broadcasts from 10 countries while meeting four U.S. presidents, Pope Paul II and Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Rick Tolman serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), a producer-directed trade association headquartered in St. Louis, MO. Prior to NCGA, Rick was the executive director for the U.S. Grains Council, and has worked in market planning at International Harvester Company and the Gehl Company.

Neil Dierks is Chief Executive Officer of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). Since joining NPPC in 1990, Neil served in several senior executive positions before becoming the CEO. Previously, Neil was the special activities director for the Iowa Pork Producers Association and marketing director for the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.

Kendell Keith is the President of the National Grain and Feed Association. He has served in this position since 1987. The NGFA represents companies in grain processing, grain elevation, feed manufacturing, exporting and futures. Before coming to NGFA, Kendell was a policy economist for the National Cotton Council.

Awards Luncheon
(11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
Congratulate the honorees of this year’s Professional Development Awards of Excellence. Awards will be given in the areas of marketing communications, public relations and sales and recipients will share their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities in agri-marketing. This year’s recipients include: Steve Engle, Woodruff Sweitzer, Marketing Communications recipient; Barry Nelson, John Deere Agricultural Marketing Center, Public Relations recipient; and Anita Vanderwert, Brownfield Network, Sales recipient.

To register for the Agribusiness Forum visit, http://nama.org/forum/register.htm. 

For more information on the Forum sessions and our speakers, visit, http://nama.org/forum/index.html.

Combined Session with NAFB Members
This session also serves as the business program of the NAFB Convention for their broadcast, management and allied industry councils. We’re pleased to join the NAFB members in this combined session.

(1:30 – 2:45 p.m.)

Food, Fuel, & Feed – Frontiers of Change
Moderator: Sano Shimoda, BioScience Securities, Inc.
Dan Basse, AgResource
Ann Ness, Cargill
Lyle Orwig, Charleston Orwig
John Becherer, United Soybean Board

The output “formula” of agriculture becomes more and more dynamic and diverse. How are the basic “drivers” changing? Will core grain crops be able to supply traditional markets, and how will trait-specific varieties continue to impact cropping? To what extent will emerging bio-fuels alter the equation and markets? And what about implications for the branding and marketing of food and nutrition, as well as other key product and distribution channels (pharmaceutical, industrial, etc.)? Panelists will offer a top-line discussion of these and other elements of vital consequence in agriculture – and to those professionals who market and communicate about it. This concluding session of the NAMA Agribusiness Forum, and kick-off session of the NAFB Convention, will take a close look at the Frontiers of Change faced by American agriculture.

Sano Shimoda is President and Founder of BioScience Securities, a boutique corporate advisory and investment banking firm in the Los Angeles area. His firm is unique in its focus in agricultural biotechnology and bio-products. Sano has over 30 years of experience in the Wall Street community and is well recognized for his forward-looking views of the changing dynamics new bio-developments will have on agriculture.

Dan Basse is Founder and President of AgResource, a domestic and international agricultural advisory and research firm which forecasts domestic and world agricultural price trends. Raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, Dan has applied his keen sense of agriculture in positions at GNP Commodities and Professional Farmers of America. Dan is often quoted in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, as well as guest appearances on CNN, CNBC, and NBC and ABC network news.

Ann Ness, is Vice President of Corporate Brand Management at Cargill, where she is responsible for the corporate brand identity and related advertising campaigns. Previously, Ann was brand manager at Radisson Hotels Worldwide and an account executive at an advertising agency. She began her career as a newspaper reporter in southern Indiana and later in St. Louis. Ann serves on the Carlson School of Management’s Brand Enterprise at the University of Minnesota where she is a frequent guest speaker.

Lyle Orwig is the Chief Executive Officer of Charleston Orwig, an advertising and public relations agency he co-founded in 1992, whose client list includes Smithfield Foods, Miller Brewing Company, Applebee, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition and Dairyland Seed. Previously, Lyle worked for Bader Rutter & Associates, Century Communications (previous publisher of Agri Marketing, Agri Finance, and Agri Educator magazines) and Reiman Associates.

John Becherer is the Chief Executive Officer of the United Soybean Board. He directs the implementation of the USB’s budget and manages the soybean checkoff’s national office in Chesterfield, MO. Prior to joining USB, John served as Executive Director for the Conservation Technology Information Center in West Lafayette, Indiana. He has more than 25 years of management experience in agricultural organizations.

To register for the Agribusiness Forum visit, http://nama.org/forum/register.htm.

For more information on the Forum and the speakers visit, http://www.nama.org/forum/index.html.