February 4, 2002

Northwest Farm Managers Association Meeting is Feb. 13 in Fargo

The Northwest Farm Managers Association’s 93rd annual meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 9 a.m. at the Fargo Holiday Inn.

"During the past 92 years the organization has attracted speakers that are some of the best thinkers in agriculture and provided an atmosphere where producers could learn and exchange ideas," says Andrew Swenson, North Dakota State University Extension Service farm management specialist. "This year there will be several different topics of interest to producers."

Orion Samuelson, agricultural radio personality on WGN radio, Chicago, and on television’s "U.S. Farm Report" will be the opening speaker. Robert Young, Co-Director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri, will provide the latest insight on farm policy and the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture. FAPRI specialists consult on agriculture for the U.S. Senate and House Agricultural Committees.

An update on the performance of farmer owned ag-processing firms and future prospects will be presented by Frayne Olson, assistant director of the Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives, NDSU. Tom Sinner, North Dakota State Seed Department, will explain the do’s and don’ts of identity preserved (IP) grain production. A panel discussion on whether IP is profitable will be moderated by Mike Hergert of the Red River Radio Network. Panel members are local IP producers, processors, and exporters.

Finally, Mark Gold, managing director of E-hedger, Chicago, will discuss using marketing tools to achieve profitability through risk management. Gold was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade for 20 years where he was a pit trader and floor broker.

The meeting is open to all farmers and others that are interested in agriculture. A registration fee of $30 includes noon meal and breaks. Call (701) 231-7393 for more information.

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Source: Andrew Swension, (701) 231-7379, aswenson@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu