I will be attending the 179th Annual New York State Agriculture Society (“NYSAG”) Meeting & Agriculture Forum in Syracuse, New York on January 6, 2011 at the Holiday Inn. This year’s theme is “Eat Local/Feed the World – Food Production for the Future.” It is a timely topic with the momentum of the local food movement in light of a growing world population. Food security- both in developed and developing countries- is a strong passion of mine. The event is cosponsored by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
I am especially excited to hear the the keynote speaker for the event – Dr. Robert Thompson. He recently retired from my alum – the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – where he was the Chair of Agriculture Policy and taught Food Policy and Food Production. Before joining the ag policy team at U of I, Dr. Thompson was the Senior Advisor for Agriculture Trade Policy at the World Bank Group, the Dean of the College of Agriculture at Purdue University, and worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Thompson was raised on a dairy farm in Upstate New York.
The panelists for the afternoon include the following:
1. Dr. Robert Gravani from Cornell University – “Food Safety As It Pertains To Local and Global Food Production;”
2. David Swenson from Iowa State University – “Economics of Food Production and Potential Future Issues;”
3. Dr. Jennifer Wilkins from Cornell University – “Nutritional Aspects of Future Food Production;”
4. Jim Bittner from Singer Farms – “What Does Eat Local/Feed the Word Mean to Local Farmers in New York State?”
This outstanding topic should make for an interesting and though-provoking day. If you have not done so already, you can register online here.