Conference: Friday, August 11 from 1:00pm-5:00pm, and Saturday, August 12 from 8:30am-5:30pm
Membership Meeting with Election of Directors: Sunday, August 13 at 8:00am
In our first session, on Friday afternoon, John Ikerd will talk about globalized industrial agriculture’s failing. We will continue with the problem of market concentration and its impacts on producers.
FRIDAY EVENING BANQUET SPEAKER: Wes Jackson, President Emeritus of The Land Institute
In our second session, on Saturday morning, we will take a deep-dive into the threat of recent and pending agribusiness mergers, economic impact on rural communities and main streets, and food fraud.
SATURDAY LUNCHEON SPEAKER: Lillian Salerno, Chair of Family Farm Action and former Deputy Undersecretary for Policy for Rural Development, USDA
The third session, on Saturday afternoon, will offer us a call to action. We will discuss current litigation and lawsuits, state and federal checkoff program reform, country of origin labeling, holding the market accountable, good food purchasing policy, and new state inspection systems that replace onerous and failed big packer USDA programs.
SOME OF OUR CONFERENCE SPEAKERS (in alphabetical order):
John W. Boyd, Jr., President of the National Black Farmers Association Dudley Butler, Farm and Ranch Law Group, PLLC, former Administrator of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration Webster Davis, Chair of the Agriculture Committee for the Missouri Chapter of the NAACP Ben Ezzell, Attorney, Enid, OK City Council Greg Gunthorp, 4th generation hog farmer, owner of Gunthorp Farms Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, Author of Foodopoly Mary Hendrickson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Rural Sociology, University of Missouri John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri Wes Jackson, President Emeritus of The Land Institute Barry C. Lynn, Director, Open Markets program, New America Foundation Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance Dennis Olson, Senior Research Associate, Food & Agricultural Policy at United Food & Commercial Workers International Union Matt Penzer, Adjunct Professor and litigation consultant on animal law issues Lillian Salerno, Chair of Family Farm Action and former Deputy Undersecretary for Policy for Rural Development, USDA Anim Steel, Founder of Real Food Generation