Energizing Rural America in the Global Marketplace

Crystal Gateway Marriott
Arlington, Virginia
February 21-22, 2008

Plenary Session and Webcast

Welcome
Chuck Conner
Deputy Secretary, USDA
Webcast Transcript

Keynote Address
Ed Schafer
Secretary of Agriculture
Webcast Transcript

2008 Agricultural Economic Outlook
Joseph Glauber
Chief Economist, USDA
Webcast Transcript PDF

2008 Foreign Trade Outlook
Mark Keenum
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, USDA
Webcast PDF

Promoting a Rural Renaissance
Thomas Dorr
Under Secretary for Rural Development, USDA
Webcast Transcript

Distinguished Guest Speaker
Stephen Johnson
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Webcast Transcript

Distinguished Panel

Getting It Right: Responding to Market Forces
Moderator: Jean-Mari Peltier
President & CEO
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
Webcast

Livestock Market Issues: From Producer to Consumer
C. Larry Pope
President & CEO
Smithfield Foods
Webcast Transcript

Trade Issues: Focusing on Specialty Crops
Tom Stenzel
President & CEO
United Fresh Produce Association
Webcast Transcript

Biotech Advances in Supply Technology
Paul Schickler
DuPont Vice President & General Manager
President, Pioneer Hi-Bred
Webcast PDF

Renewable Fuels
Robert Dinneen
President & CEO
Renewable Fuels Association
Webcast Transcript

Speeches and Presentations

Speeches and PowerPoint presentations are posted in PDF format.

February 21, 2008

1:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Food Price Outlook: Ephraim Leibtag, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF

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

Rural Development
Defining the “Rural” in Rural America
Moderator: Thomas Dorr, Under Secretary for Rural Development, USDA

Historical Evaluation of Defining Rural America – Past, Present, and Future Trends
Calvin Beale, Senior Demographer, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF

Update on Legislative Efforts To Define Rural Areas – Will the Farm Bill Be That Catalyst?
Tadlock Cowan, Analyst, Natural Resources & Rural Development, Congressional Research Service
PDF

Defining Rural for Public Policy
Mark Drabenstott, Director, Rural Policy Research Institute
PDF

Energy & Technology
New Sources for Biofuels: What Are They?
Moderator: Shana Y. Love, Special Assistant, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration, USDA

A Firm’s Perspective on Biodiesel
Paul T. Prentice, Ph.D., Vice President, Agriculture Blue Sun Biodiesel, LLC
PDF

Renewable Diesel Production From Animal Processing Feedstocks
Louis Burke, Manager, Biofuels, ConocoPhillips
PDF

Producing Biocrude From Plant Material
Richard E. Zalesky, Vice President, Biofuels and Hydrogen Business
PDF

Biodiesel Industry Response to New Production Strategies
Larry Schafer, National Biodiesel Board
PDF

Policy & Trade
Farm Policy: Implications of the 2008 Farm Bill for Farm Risk Management
Moderator: Eldon Gould, Administrator, Risk Management Agency, USDA

Overview of the 2008 Farm Bill: Comparisons and Contrasts
Randy Schnepf, Specialist in Agricultural Policy, Agriculture and Food Section Resources, Science, & Industry Division, Congressional Research Service
PDF

2008 Farm Bill: Implications for Risk Management
Stephen Frerichs, AgVantage LLC
PDF

2008 Farm Bill: The FSA and RMA Approaches to Risk Management
Brad Karmen, Economist, Office of the Chief Economist, USDA
PDF

2008 Farm Bill: Conservation Issues
Ralph Grossi, President, American Farmland Trust
PDF

Food Risk & Security Track
Public & Private Approaches to Food Safety in America
Moderator: Barbara Masters, DVM, Senior Policy Advisor, Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC

Food Safety Update: Accomplishments and Challenges
Richard Raymond, Under Secretary, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA
PDF

Anatomy of a Recall: A Retailer's Perspective
Jeanne Colleluori, Communications Specialist
Wegmans Supermarkets
PDF

Public Health Partnerships
Robert W. Hicks, Director, Office of Environmental Health Services, Virginia Department of Health
PDF

Conservation
Environmental Quality and Agriculture
Moderator: Jon Scholl, Agricultural Liaison, Environmental Protection Agency

Partnering for Environmental Policy in the 21st Century
Gary Mast, Deputy Under Secretary for Conservation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA
PDF

Conservation Partnerships
H. Dale Hall, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
PDF

Improving Water Quality Across the Landscape
Tom Casadevall, Director, Central Region, United States Geological Survey
PDF

Thursday, February 21, 2008

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

Rural America
The Changing Demography of Rural America
Moderator: Calvin Beale, Senior Demographer, Resource and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, USDA

The Changing Face of Rural America: Growing Ethnic Diversity
William Kandel, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF

Aging in Rural America: Looming Healthcare Challenges
Nina Glasgow, Senior Research Associate, Cornell University
PDF

Return Migration to Rural and Small Town America
John Cromartie, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF

Reaching Out to Measure Rural America
Virginia Harris, Agricultural Statistician, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA
PDF

Energy & Technology
Ethanol: Is It a Sustainable Alternative?
Moderator: Roger K. Conway, Director, Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, USDA

After the Renewable Fuels Standard: Prospects for Continued Ethanol Development
Douglas Durante, Executive Director, Clean Fuels Development Coalition
PDF

New Advances in Ethanol Processing Efficiency
Mark Stowers, Vice President for Research and Development, POET Research
PDF

Managing the Food/Feed/Finance Intersection
Vincent Andrews, Vice President, Morgan Stanley
PDF

Results of Recent Biofuels Studies
Rick Tolman, Chief Executive Officer, National Corn Growers Association
PDF

Policy & Trade
Life After DOHA
Moderator: Michael W. Yost, Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA

Agricultural Trade Policy in the United States: The Big Picture
Ambassador Allen F. Johnson, President, Allen F. Johnson & Associates, Former Chief U.S. Agricultural Negotiator, World Trade Organization, DOHA Agenda
PDF

Multilateral and Regional Trade Negotiations: A View From Uruguay
Minister Hugo Cayrus Maurin, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Uruguay
PDF

The Geneva Mix: Multilateral and Regional Trade Liberalization
John M. Weekes, Senior Policy Advisor, Sidley Austin LLP
PDF

Food Risk & Security
Protecting the Food Supply Through Food Safety and Defense
Moderator: Karlease Kelly, Executive Associate, Food Safety and Inspection Service

Preventing E. coli Contamination of Food
Robert Mandrell, Produce Safety and Microbiology Research, Research Leader, Western Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
PDF

E. coli Contamination of Meat and Poultry: A Regulatory Perspective
Daniel Engeljohn, Deputy Assistant, Administrator, Office of Policy, Program and Employee Development, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA
PDF

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) in Small Plant Operations
Mark Schad, Schad Meat, Inc.
PDF

Agroterrorism: Protecting America’s Food Supply
Peter De La Cuesta, Supervisory Special Agent, Infrastructure Counterterrorism Team, WMD Directorate, Federal Bureau of Investigation
PDF

Food Safety and Public Health: Don't Forget the Local
Michelle Chuk, Senior Advisor, National Association of County and City Health Officials
PDF

Imports and Global Collaboration on Food Defense
Kim R. Green, Senior Scientist, Office of Food Defense and Emergency Response, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA
PDF

Conservation
Emerging Environmental Markets: What’s the Payoff?
Moderator: Melissa Simpson, Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment, USDA

Agricultural Carbon and Greenhouse Gases: Moving to Markets
James L. Cummins, Executive Vice President, The Carbon Fund
PDF

Enhancing Wildlife Populations Across the Landscape
Tom Franklin, Senior Vice President, Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
PDF

Surveying the Nation’s Water Assets
Craig E. Hooks, Director of the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
PDF

Outlook Forum Dinner
Chuck Conner
Deputy Secretary, USDA
Transcript

February 22, 2008
Commodity Outlooks

USDA Grains & Oilseeds Outlook
Mark Ash, Agricultural Economist, Economic Research Servi e, USDA
PDF

USDA Cotton Outlook
Leslie Meyer, Agricultural Economist, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF

Outlook for Livestock & Poultry Industry
Joel Greene, Livestock & Poultry Analyst, World Agricultural Outlook Board, USDA
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

February 22, 2008

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

Rural America
Innovative Business Models for Rural America
Moderator: Jack Gleason, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary, Rural Development, USDA

Linking Distributive Electricity Production From Alternative Energy Sources to the Traditional Generation and Transmission Systems
Scott Thigpen, Senior Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
PDF

Review of Current Business Models and Their Ability To Support Rural Economic Development
Scott Richman, Senior Vice President, Commercial Consulting Lead, Informa Economics, Inc.
PDF

The Critical Need for Rural Broadband and How Co-ops Can Help Meet It
C. David Hudgins, Director of Economic Development, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
PDF

Energy & Technology
Solar & Wind Technologies’ Coming of Age
Moderator: James M. Andrew, Administrator, Rural Development Utilities Program, USDA

Solar Power’s Coming of Age With New Technology
Gregory Rosen, Senior Manager, Power Light Corporation
PDF

Wind Power Goes Mainstream
Ron Rebenitsch, Manager, Alternative Technologies, Basin Electric Power Cooperative
PDF

A Regulator’s Perspective on Renewable Power: Is It Ready for Prime Time?
Phyllis Reha, Vice Chairman, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
PDF

Policy & Trade
Trade Opportunities With Latin America
Moderator: Mark E. Keenum, Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, USDA

Trade With Mexico: Deeper Integration Under NAFTA
Jeffrey Jones, Under Secretary of Agribusiness, Ministry of Agriculture, Mexican Agricultural Secretariat
PDF

Opportunities for Agricultural Trade with Colombia
Ambassador Carolina Barco, Embassy of Colombia
Speech

Agricultural Trade With Brazil and Areas of Competition
Edilson Guimaraes, Secretary of Agricultural Policy, Ministry of Agriculture, Brasilia, Brazil
PDF

Food Risk & Security
Income Outlook for Farms and Farm Households
Moderator: George Smith, Chief, Current Industry Analysis Division, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce

Farm Finance: The Outlook for Farms and the U.S. Farm Sector in 2008
James Johnson, Chief, Farm and Rural Business Branch,
Resource & Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service
Co-author: Mitchell Morehart, Senior Economist, Farm and Rural Business Branch,Resource & Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF

Household Finance: The Outlook for Farm Household Income, Wealth, and Well-Being
Mary Ahearn, Senior Economist, Farm and Rural Household Well-Being Branch, Resource & Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF

Farm Finance: A “Pulse” From the Prairie
Cole Gustafson, Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics, North Dakota State University
PDF

Commodities
Grains & Oilseeds Outlook
Moderator: Rich Feltes, Director of Research, Man Financial Inc.

Grains &Oilseeds Outlook
Mark Ash, Agricultural Economist, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF Speech

Growing Influence of Managed Money on Agricultural Commodities
Lonn Taffel, Cadent Financial Services LLC
PDF

Challenges to Ethanol Blending in the Southeast
Daniel H. Moenter, Manager, State Government Affairs
Marathon Petroleum Company LLC
PDF

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

Rural America Track
Innovative Financing for Rural America
Moderator: Mary K. Waters, Vice President, Corporate Relations, Farmer Mac

Tapping Rural Equity: Are We Ready?
Paul DeBriyn, CEO, AgStar Financial Services, ACA
PDF

Project Versus Balance Sheet Financing: Can Securities Match Risk?
Richard S. Monson, President, Southwest Georgia Farm Credit
PDF

Tapping Private Sector Capital To Finance Rural Economic Development
David Kruse, Grupo Iowa, Brazil Iowa Farms, LLC
PDF

Factoring Community Assets Into Financing for Long-Term Sustainability
Joe Black, Senior Vice President, Southern Financial Partners
PDF

Energy & Technology
Biomass for Energy: Markets or a Mirage?
Moderator: Joy Harwood, Director, Economic and Policy Analysis Staff, Farm Service Agency, USDA

Examining the Markets: Which Technologies Are Likely to Succeed?
Peter Riley, Economic and Policy Analysis Staff, Farm Service Agency, USDA
PDF

Locating the Resources: Where and How Will the Biomass Be Grown?
Marie Walsh, Head, M&E Biomass
PDF

The Logistical Challenges From Large-scale Biomass
J. Richard Hess, Bioenergy Program Technology Manager, Renewable Energy & Power Department, Idaho National Laboratory
PDF

Overcoming Challenges With Emerging Biomass Technologies:
What Is Possible? When?
Caird Rexroad, Associate Administrator, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
PDF

Policy & Trade
Cotton Outlook
Moderator: Hibbie Barrier, Director, Avondale Futures Group

USDA Cotton Outlook
Leslie Meyer, Agricultural Economist, Economic Research Service, USDA
PDF Speech

A Cotton Producer Grows Grain: Reflections on 2007 and Plans for 2008
L. Dow Brantley, III, Brantley Farming Company
PDF

Recent Developments in Cotton Futures Trading
Thomas Farley, President & CEO, ICE Futures U.S., Inc.

Cotton Production Prospects in Selected Foreign Countries
Alejandro Plastina, Economist, International Cotton Advisory Committee
PDF

Food Risk & Security
Regulating Effectively in a Globalized World
Moderator: Cindy J. Smith, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA

Legal and Analytical Constraints on the Regulators
Jeffrey S. Lubbers, Fellow in Law and Government, Washington College of Law, American University
PDF

The Challenge of Increasing Global Trade: How Do We Address Linkages and Barriers?
David Orden, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Director, Global Issues Initiative, Institute for Society, Culture and Environment
PDF

Perspectives of USDA's Regulatory Policy Officer
Marc L. Kesselman, General Counsel, USDA
PDF

Commodities
Livestock & Poultry Outlook
Moderator: S. Brett, Director, Policy and Litigation Division, Packers and Stockyards, Program (P&SP), USDA

Livestock & Poultry Outlook
Joel Greene, Livestock & Poultry Analyst, World Agricultural Outlook Board, USDA
PDF Speech

What's Happening With Hog Capacity and Its Implications for the Pork Industry?
Ron Plain, D. Howard Doane Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Missouri
PDF

Situation and Outlook of the Canadian Livestock Sector
Tyler Fulton, Director of Risk Management, Manitoba Pork Marketing Co-op
PDF

Commodity Luncheons

12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Horticulture
Fruit & Vegetable Market News: Agricultural Marketing Service’s New Web Portal
Moderator: Kenneth C. Clayton, Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA

Terry Long, Chief, Fruit and Vegetable Market News, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA
PDF

Sugar & Sweeteners
The Organic Sugar Market

Nigel Willerton, CEO, Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc.
PDF

Paul Ryberg, Ryberg and Smith, LLP
PDF

Cotton
Moderator: Mike Yost, Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA

Cotton: A Shifting World
William B. Dunavant, III, President and CEO, Dunavant Enterprises, Inc.
PDF

Promoting Cotton Production in East Africa
Rickard Laurin, President, Dunavant, S.A.. Geneva, Switzerland

Grains & Oilseeds
The Impact of Higher Commodity Prices on Food Price Inflation
Moderator: Keith Menzie, Agricultural Economist, Oilseeds, World Agricultural Outlook Board, USDA

William Lapp, Advanced Economic Solutions
PDF

Livestock & Poultry
Reopening Markets to U.S. Meat
Moderator: Timothy Rocke, Director, Industry and Sector Analysis, Office of Global Analysis, Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA

John Reddington, Vice President, International Trade, American Meat Institute
PDF

February 22, 2008

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

Rural America
Change Agents Impacting Rural America
Moderator: Hon. Charles W. Stenholm, Senior Policy Advisor, Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC

Technology: Bringing Global Opportunities to Rural America
Chuck Comeau, Chief Executive Officer, DessinFournir Companies
PDF

Community-Driven Health Care
Martin Guthmiller, President and CEO, Orange City Area Health System
PDF

Communities Coming Together for Economic Development
Hon. Willie E. Spencer, Hardeman County Mayor
PDF

Erasing the Barriers of Distance: How Telemedicine Is Changing Rural Health Care
John Gardner, Administrator, Yuma District Hospital
PDF

Conservation
Conservation Tradeoffs for Bioenergy Production
Moderator: Craig A. Cox, Executive Director, Soil and Water Conservation Society

Conserving Carbon in Feed Stock Production
Donald C. Reicoski, Research Soil Scientist, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
PDF

Protecting Water Resources in Feed Stock Production
Rick Cruse, Professor, Department of Agronomy
Director, Iowa Water Center, Iowa State University
PDF

Identifying Environmental Consequences of Conversion Plants: Options for Managing Tradeoffs
Annette Sharp, Executive Director, Central States Air Resources Agencies (CenSARA)
PPT Speech Handout1 Handout2

Economics, Incentives, and Public Policy
Glen Keppy, Associate Administrator for Programs, Farm Service Agency, USDA
PDF

Policy & Trade
What Lies Ahead for the Sugar Market?
Moderator: Barbara Fecso, Economist, Dairy and Sweeteners Analysis Group Farm Service Agency, USDA

Prospects for Sweetener Demand in the United States and Mexico
Kevin Combs, Vice President, McKeany-Flavell Company, Inc.
PDF

How Do the U.S. and Mexican Re-export and IMMEX Programs Fit in With an Integrated Sweetener Market?

The Benefits of the Programs and the Reasons To Maintain Them
Randy Green, Sr., Vice President, Imperial Sugar
PDF

The Problems With the Programs and the Reasons To Consider Change
Jack Roney, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis, American Sugar Alliance
PDF

Will Changes to the Immigration Law TRhwart the NAFTA Free-trade Objective?
Andrea Rodriguez, Immigration Attorney, Law Office of Andrea L. Rodriguez, PLC
PDF

Food Risk & Security
U.S. Drought Monitor & Disaster Declarations
Moderator: Douglas LeComte, Senior Meteorologist and Drought Specialist, National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center

U.S. Drought Monitor: From the Meteorologist’s Perspective
Brad Rippey, Agricultural Meteorologist, World Agricultural Outlook Board, USDA
PDF

New Assessment Tools in Monitoring Drought
David Miskus, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
PDF

Implementing USDA Farm Disaster Programs
John Johnson, Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs, Farm Service Agency, USDA
PDF

How Will Global Climate Change Affect Agriculture Over the Next 10-30 Years?
Jerry L. Hatfield, Plant Physiologist, National Soil Tilth Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
PDF

Commodities
Dairy Outlook
Moderator: Robert D. Yonkers, Chief Economist and Director of Policy Analysis, International Dairy Foods Association

Dairy Outlook
Shayle Shagam, Livestock & Dairy Analyst, World Agricultural Outlook Board, USDA
PDF Speech

The Outlook for U.S. Dairy Exports in a Changing World Market
Brad Gehrke, Global Trade Analyst, U.S. Dairy Export Council
PDF

Key Developments in the Global Dairy Market
Deborah Perkins, Managing Director, Food & Agribusiness Research, Rabobank
PDF