Submitted by: agcomm,  Thu Dec 11 09:42:28 1997


                         December 11,1997
 
Crop Insurance Conference Jan. 19 in Fargo
 
     The fifth annual Crop Insurance Conference will be Monday,
Jan. 19, at the Radisson Hotel in Fargo.  It is sponsored by the
North Dakota State University department of agricultural
economics, NDSU Extension Service and the North Dakota
Agricultural Experiment Station.
     The conference will address new rules and risk management
opportunities as well as emerging risk management initiatives. It
is designed for crop insurance agents and underwriters, farmers,
legislators, lenders, professional farm managers--anyone who is
interested in the proposed changes for federal crop insurance in
1998. 
     In the morning Jack Kintzle, board member of Federal Crop
Insurance, Coggon, Iowa, will describe policy efforts to target
federal crop insurance to meet risk management needs of upper
Midwest farms.  Leon Osborn, professor of atmospheric sciences
and director of the Regional Weather Information Center at the
University of North Dakota, will discuss  implications of El Nio
for upper Midwest agriculture.  Craig Witt, director of risk
management education for Risk Management Agency, will describe a
new risk management education effort.
     Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) will talk about the future for
crop insurance in the region at the noon lunch.  After lunch, Ray
Grabanski, president of Progressive Ag Marketing in Fargo, will
present "New Generation Revenue Products--Where Do They Fit?" 
Other afternoon sessions include a discussion of scab and other
crop diseases by Marcia McMullen, professor of plant pathology at
NDSU, and a presentation on the opportunities for non-
traditional crops by Steve Edwardson, director of research and
development for Minn-Dak Growers Ltd. of Grand Forks.
     Participants may obtain up to five hours insurance agent
continuing education credit in North Dakota and Minnesota and six
hours in South Dakota.   
     The $50 registration fee must sent by Friday Jan. 9, to NDSU
Extension Service, Ag Economics Department, Box 5437, Fargo, ND
58105-5437.  For more information, call (701) 231-8642.  Cost of
lunch is included in the fee.
                              ###
NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Cole Gustafson (701) 231-7096
Editor: Barry Brissman (701) 231-7866