The Ohio AgriBusiness Association’s annual Industry Conference, which provides education and networking opportunities for agribusiness professionals, is set for Jan. 29-31 at the Renaissance Columbus Westerville-Polaris Hotel.

This will be the eighth year the Industry Conference has been held; more than 400 industry professionals attended the 2019 event.

“Attendees continue to tell us the entire conference is an exceptional event, providing agribusiness professionals an opportunity to come together as an industry to focus on the issues impacting Ohio,” says Chris Henney, OABA president and CEO. “In an ever-changing business landscape, this year’s conference will look forward into 2020 and beyond to the opportunities and challenges on the horizon, guided by the industry’s leading experts.”

Conference sessions, topics

Session topics include economic outlook, trade, blockchain technology, innovating in turbulent times, an ethanol industry outlook, soil health and recovery, cover crops, weeds, insects, specialty and alternative crops, alternative nutrient resource management, transportation, workplace safety and much more.

This year’s conference will offer a new safety and risk management program on Jan. 29 that is open to all conference attendees. This pre-event day offers a deep dive into all aspects of safety and risk management — topics that affect all levels of agribusiness. The full OABA Industry Conference will kick off with a welcome reception the evening of Jan. 29.

Scholarship initiative

At the industry networking dinner Jan. 30, attendees will hear from Shirley Brooks-Jones, whose life was forever changed when her plane was diverted to Newfoundland, Canada, on Sept. 11, 2001. She and her fellow passengers experienced the boundless hospitality of the locals, which in turn inspired the passengers to launch a scholarship initiative for the youth of the community. At the conference, Brooks-Jones, a retired administrator and fundraiser for Ohio State University, will share her story and inspire attendees to look for ways to give back to their own communities.

Continuing education units (CEUs) are available for both certified crop advisers and state licensed pesticide applicators (for Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania) who attend the conference. A general agenda will soon be made available at oaba.net/events_conference.

Registration

The all-inclusive registration for the event covers admission to the two main days of educational programming (Jan 30-31); all meals, including the industry networking reception and dinner; and the OABA annual meeting.

Individual day, and reception and dinner-only, registrations are also available — as are exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities. Visit the website listed above for more information and to register.

Hotel accommodations for the Renaissance Columbus Westerville-Polaris Hotel, 409 Altair Parkway, Westerville, Ohio, can be made online by visiting the website listed above or by calling 614-791-1000 and using the code “Ohio AgriBusiness Association.” The OABA hotel block reservation deadline is Jan. 10.

Source: OABA, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.