December 4, 2015
92nd US Agricultural Outlook Forum set for Feb.25-26
The 92nd Annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, hosted since 1923 by the US Department of Agriculture, will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, on Feb. 25-26, 2016.
The USDA''s largest annual meeting will have the theme "Transforming Agriculture: Blending Technology and Tradition" and will serve as a platform to facilitate conversation of key issues and topics within the agricultural community, including producers, processors, policy makers, government officials and NGOs, both foreign and domestic.
The Plenary panel, "Providing Leadership for Present and Future Generations in the Transformation of Agriculture," will feature remarks from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden. Thirty concurrent track sessions supporting this theme include the Agriculture Talent Pipeline, Bioproducts, Commodities, Land & Tenure Transition, New Markets, Organics, Risk Management, Scientific Advancement, and Trade.
USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson will present "The 2016 Economic Outlook for Agriculture." The forum''s keynote address will be delivered by Howard Buffett, CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, while Mitch E. Daniels, Jr., president of Purdue University and former governor of Indiana, will be the dinner speaker.
Deputy Secretary Harden will also host a session on opportunities in agriculture for new and beginning farmers/ranchers, and she will and host a Women''s Agriculture Networking event.
To view information about the Forum and to register, log on to www.usda.gov/oce/forum/.