alifornia agricultural producers have plenty of concerns to ponder this fall as they begin making production and marketing plans for 1999. Financial crises in Asia and prospects for continuing El Niño effects are among the issues that bring new uncertainties to the world marketplace.

In spite of the unknowns, there are cycles that run and trends that continue, and the experts who study them will be on hand to share their insights at the 17th annual Agribusiness Management Conference, to be held Tuesday, Nov. 10 in Fresno, California.

The conference is sponsored by the Center for Agricultural Business (CAB) at California State University, Fresno and Bank of America Corporation.

A leading concern for farm producers, shippers, exporters, and bankers this fall is the crash of currency values in several Pacific Rim countries during the past year. Anticipating that concern, conference organizers have lined up economists who will specifically address the situation, noted Bert Mason, CAB director. First will be Howard Roth, vice president and senior economist for Bank of America, who will discuss prospects for continuing growth of the California economy in light of world events.

Following will be Daniel Sumner, the Frank H. Buck Jr. professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis. Sumner will discuss the future of the Asian economies and the implications for California agriculture.

Luncheon speaker Alex Avery will take participants further into the future as he discusses "High-tech, High-yield Agriculture: What's on the Horizon?" Avery, a research associate for the Center for Global Food Issues at the Hudson Institute, will discuss the world of technology and what's in store for agriculture in the next millennium.

In addition to these speakers, two commodity outlook panels will feature crop specialists offering their projections in light of current events. Panelists include Jarral Neeper, director of economic services for CalCot.Ltd., who will outline the residual effects the cotton industry can anticipate in the wake of El Niño, and Fresno State agricultural economics professor James Cothern, who will discuss domestic and export sales of beef, feed and grain in the face of continuing economic troubles in the Pacific Rim.

Other commodity panelists are Barry Bedwell, president of Allied Grape Growers; Vernon Crowder, vice president and agricultural economist for Bank of America; Charles G. Goldman, president and chief operating officer for Paramount Farms Inc.; John C. Welty, executive vice president of the California Tomato Growers Association; and Jim Tillison, executive director of the Alliance of Western Milk Producers.

In addition to the commodity panels, a third panel of agribusiness professionals will address issues involving agricultural "inputs," including electricity, pesticides, water and land.

The conference will run from 8:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Centre Plaza Holiday Inn in downtown Fresno. Early registration (received by Nov. 3) is $80 per person. Late and walk-in is $90. For registration details call (559) 278-4405 or see the Announcements and Events section of this web site.

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{ CATI , CAB , CAB - Current Projects , CAB - "Update" Newsletter , "Update" Newsletter - 1998}

 
Copyright © 2000. All rights reserved.
CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE - CATI
College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
California State University, Fresno

{ CATI , CAB , CAB - Current Projects , CAB - "Update" Newsletter , "Update" Newsletter - 1998}

 
Copyright © 2000. All rights reserved.
CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE - CATI
College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology
California State University, Fresno