Event Agenda and Panel Discussion Overview

12 p.m. EDT: Welcome and Opening Remarks

12:15 to 1:05 p.m. EDT: “The Voice of Farmers and Ranchers”

Discussion Overview: This panel will focus on farmer and rancher values and choices, and how consumer reaction guides choices. The discussion will highlight the complexity of modern agriculture while associating real names, faces and stories with these challenges. Key topics include:

• Animal care, antibiotic and hormone use
• The “real work” behind modern agriculture; farmers and ranchers will highlight personal stories, values and motivation for remaining in agriculture
• The economics of farming and ranching and how it results in difficult decisions about balancing profitability, sustainability and consumer demands
• Consumers’ role in guiding farmer and rancher decisions

Location: Fair Oaks Farm/Fair Oaks, Ind.

• Moderator: Max Armstrong, Farm Progress Companies
• Panelists:
  • Malcolm DeKryger, vice president, Belstra Milling Co.
  • Phil Bradshaw, Illinois soybean, corn and hog producer; former vice chairman United Soybean Board and vice chairman, USFRA
  • Casie Conley, state president, Indiana FFA Organization
  • Gary Corbett, CEO, Fair Oaks Farms
  • Wendy Wintersteen, dean of the College of Agriculture, Iowa State University

1:05 to 2:25 p.m. EDT: “The View from 30,000 Feet”

Discussion Overview: The Washington, D.C. panel will focus on macro issues such as feeding our growing population while maintaining high standards for safety, quality and an abundant supply to ensure low food prices. Key topics include:

• The commitment to providing healthy food choices for all and how U.S. farming gives us options
• Options and consumer choice
• The tradeoffs between conventional, organic, local, natural, etc. and how these farming and ranching methods affect our country’s ability to provide food supply domestically and internationally
• The importance of government investment in the nation’s food supply
• The role the U.S. plays in feeding the world

Location: The Newseum/Washington, D.C.

• Guest Speaker: Tom Vilsack, secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Emcee: Claire Shipman, ABC News
• Moderator: Phil Lempert, food trends analyst and editor, The Lempert Report/Supermarket Guru
• Panelists:
  • Tres Bailey, director of Agriculture and Food, Wal-Mart
  • Kathi Brock, director of Strategic Partnerships American Humane Association
  • Frank DiPasquale, CEO, School Nutrition Association
  • Bob Stallman, Texas farmer/rancher; president, American Farm Bureau Federation and chairman, USFRA
  • Jon Scholl, Illinois corn and soybean farmer and president, American Farmland Trust
  • Dan Glickman, senior fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center, former secretary, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
  • Dr. Jason Clay, senior vice president, Market Transformation, World Wildlife Fund

2:25 to 2:40 p.m. EDT: Break

2:40 to 3:25 p.m. EDT: “The Future of Agriculture”

Discussion Overview: Farming, ranching and sustainability – is it getting better or worse? This panel will review sustainable practices in farming and ranching. Panelists also will explain the various types of farming and ranching from conventional to organic, natural and free range. The discussion also will explore local farming as an alternative to conventional farming in the U.S., weighing the pros and cons of each. Additional topics will include a focus on agriculture education, discussing what students today are learning about sustainable agriculture and the vision for the future.

Location: Robert Mondavi Institute at University of California Davis/Davis, Calif.

• Moderator: Jane Wells, CNBC
• Panelists:
  • Eric Benson, California egg producer and president, J.S. West & Co.
  • Michael Dimock, president, Roots of Change
  • Dr. Neal Van Alfen, dean, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
  • Stuart Woolf, president, Woolf Farming and Processing
  • Rick Stott, Idaho cattle rancher and executive vice president, Agri Beef Co.

3:25 to 4:25 p.m. EDT: “From Farms and Ranches to Menus and Check-out Counters”

Discussion Overview: The New York panel will focus on retaining consumer choices in what they eat and what they pay. The panel will explore consumers’ need for information at the point of purchase (labeling, restaurant ratings, calories, etc), as well as the safety and health issues related to consumer decision-making and choices. Additionally, panelists will discuss the variety of sizes and forms of farming and ranching and its impact on consumer choices made at the checkout counter or when ordering from the menu.

Location: Chelsea Studios/New York, New York

• Moderator: Chef John Besh
• Panelists:
  • Bart Schott, North Dakota corn farmer and president, National Corn Growers Association
  • Dr. Lynn Silver, director of Science and Policy, New York City Dept. of Health
  • Sarah Murray, author, “Moveable Feasts”
  • Patricia Cobe, senior editor, Restaurant Business Magazine
  • Dr. Pamela Ronald, professor, Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis and co-author, “Tomorrow’s Table”

4:25 to 4:30 p.m. EDT: Closing Comments / Adjourn