Gov. Heineman Announces Governor’s Ag Conference;
Secretary Johanns to Keynote
(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman announced today that the 2005 Governor’s Ag
Conference is planned for March 2-3 in Kearney and the keynote speaker will be U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns. The conference, titled “Leadership Today, Vision for Tomorrow,” will be held at the Holiday Inn, 110 2nd Avenue.
Gov. Heineman said, “We have a terrific line-up for this conference and I am especially pleased that Secretary Johanns is able to join us. This is a critical time in agriculture, recognizing that national policy decisions are having a very direct and potentially sweeping impact on Nebraska farmers and ranchers. Nebraska ag producers recently celebrated the confirmation of a trusted friend as the Secretary of Agriculture and now they will hear directly from him about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in agriculture.”
Conference activities will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 with the “Celebrate Nebraska Agriculture” reception. A variety of foods produced by Nebraska farmers and ranchers will be served. The evening will also feature motivational remarks by Mitch Holthus.
The conference formally begins at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 3. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns will present an update on agricultural issues that are important to our nation as part of his keynote address. Several other nationally-recognized speakers will also be featured. Orion Samuelson, the Agricultural Services Director for WGN Radio in Chicago, will discuss the impact and importance of agriculture in America and touch upon the importance of ethics in today’s society. Dr. Ronald Roskens, founder of Global Connections, Inc., will focus on the acceptance of agriculture in the global marketplace. Nancy Pellett, Chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration, will discuss the role of today’s Farm Credit Services. Eric Hess, vice president of SES, Inc., a consulting company based in Lenexa, Kansas, will discuss Nebraska’s animal safety in regard to homeland security. An executive from McDonalds, the world’s leading food service retailer, will discuss the importance of traceability and requirements of source verification in the food supply chain.
The conference is open to anyone interested in learning more about the important issues facing Nebraska agriculture. A $50 registration fee enables conference participants to attend the entire two-day event. Registration information can be obtained by calling the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 800-422-6692 or by visiting www.agr.state.ne.us.
