Won W. Koo, director of the Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade Studies and NDSU professor of agricultural economics, and U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad hosted a national conference titled “2012 Farm Bill: Issues and Challenges,” at the Fargo Holiday Inn, Nov. 7-8.

The purpose of the conference was to discuss new farm policy alternatives that protect farmers and ranchers from increasing uncertainty due to volatile commodity prices and input costs, uncontrollable weather, potential budget cuts from federal programs and an ever-changing global trade environment. More than 230 participants attended the forum.

Ken Grafton, interim vice president for agriculture and University Extension, dean of College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and
Natural Resources and director of North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station; and NDSU President Dean L. Bresciani welcomed attendees with opening remarks. Conrad presented the opening address regarding budget implications for U.S. Agricultural Policy, followed by a panel discussion by North Dakota Senators Conrad and  John Hoeven, as well as Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and North Dakota Congressman Rick Berg.

Other featured speakers included Michael Scuse, Undersecretary of Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service at USDA; Bill Murphy, administrator of the Risk Management Agency; and Suzanne Heinen, administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service; as well as several national leaders of farm and commodity organizations. Topic discussed included political environment of U.S. agricultural policy, fundamentals of the new farm bill, emerging issues in U.S. agriculture, agricultural competitiveness and risk management under increasing uncertainty. A panel session also was devoted to farm policy issues and challenges unique to Northern Plains agriculture.   

The highlight of the conference will be published by the end of November and speakers’ PowerPoint presentations can be found at the Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade Studies website at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/capts/ .