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Schafer & Johnson to Address Global Ag Conference

2009-05-06 21:54:00
Author: Mark Puppe

Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer will address over 250 executives from 150 agriculture companies and 38 countries at the Rice Americas Conference in Miami, May 12-14.  Sykeston, North Dakota native and NDSU graduate Jeremy Zwinger’s international agriculture markets newsletter The Rice Trader is hosting the event. Zwinger graduated in 1997 in agriculture economics.

Zwinger’s grains brokerage, publications and special events leadership make him a key player in global agricultural markets.  “I’ve had the opportunity to work with many world leaders, but am particularly honored to have Secretary Schafer attend and address the Rice Americas Conference,” he said.

Rice is not a North Dakota crop, but Schafer’s experience before, during and after his time as secretary and the state’s past governor establish him as an expert in all venues of international trade, especially agriculture, says Zwinger.

Rice is the staple food for over three billion people and Schafer underscores the conference’s potential.  “We saw last year during the global food crisis that rice continues to be a driving factor for nutrition, trade policy and government stability,” said Schafer.  “By gathering together agricultural and political leaders from all over the world, the Rice Americas Conference will allow a forum for the development of policy and practices that can better address these issues.”

Major legislation to relax U.S. trade restrictions against Cuba is pending in Congress. Former North Dakota agriculture commissioner and current National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson has been building American-Cuban trade relations for years and will speak about them at the Rice Americas Conference.  Support for the U.S. acquiring Cuba as market is gaining momentum in all sectors of American agriculture.

Alan Tracy, president of the U.S. Wheat Associates, and Betsy Ward, president and chief executive officer of the U.S.A. Rice Federation, partnered April 29 during the commodity panel at the “Conference for Improving Agricultural Trade with Cuba” sponsored by the Center for International Policy at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.  Ward will speak at the Rice Americas Conference.  Cuba will be represented by Pedro Alvarez Borrego, chairman and chief executive officer of Cuba’s largest food distributor, Alimport.

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) is leading the charge in the Senate to expand agricultural trade with Cuba and confirmed the conference’s relevance to North Dakota.  “Family farmers deserve a fair opportunity to compete in agricultural sales to Cuba,” Dorgan told The Rice Trader. “Opening up new markets for our American-produced crops is good for family farmers, it will help reduce our trade deficit and it will strengthen U.S. agriculture,” he said.  Congressional schedules prevent Dorgan from attending the conference.

Economic trends and a global food crisis make the Rice Americas Conference essential and timely for the entire world, Zwinger says.  The United Nations reported last month that nearly one billion people are on the verge of starvation.  In 2008, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Director General Jacques Diouf told a global summit that food supply needs to increase 50% by 2030 just to meet demand.  Schafer represented the U.S. at that summit.  The Rice Americas Conference will discuss strategies to enhance worldwide food security, research, production and distribution.

NDSU Distinguished Professor William Wilson is considered among the foremost agricultural business experts and will speak about price and market volatility.  Mark Puppe graduated from NDSU in 1996 and 2000 with a master’s in communication.  He advises marketing, public relations and communications for Zwinger and will also attend the conference.

 “The Rice Americas Conference will host the world’s most influential trade officials, agricultural interests and leaders.  Its impact will be difficult to measure, but definitely substantial and positive – even on North Dakota,” said Zwinger

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