Agricultural leaders and economists will discuss the new farm bill and its impacts on agriculture in the West at an all-day conference on May 14 at the UC Davis Conference Center.

Karen Ross, secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture and former U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture chief of staff, and Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, will share their insights on what the farm bill is likely to mean for agriculture in the western states.

"The Farm Bill affects every California commodity,” said Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center and conference coordinator. "Growers, lenders, agribusiness executives, policy advisors, agricultural leaders, university professionals, students and everyone who values comprehensive and objective information about the upcoming farm bill and U.S. farm policy are invited to participate in the conversation.”

Specific sessions include:

• "The Farm Bill: What it Does and What it Means.”  Joseph Glauber, USDA chief economist, will explain what the farm bill does. Now working on his fifth farm bill, Glauber is one of the most objective and knowledgeable experts on U.S. agricultural policy.

• "The Expanding Role of Risk Management and Crop Insurance Policy" led by Hyunok Lee, UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, with participation from growers and risk management experts.

• "What Changing Federal Dairy Policy Means for Western Dairy and Related Industries" led by Professor Joseph Balagtas, Purdue University, with participation from producers, dairy industry experts and policy advocates.

• "How Federal Conservation, Energy and Climate Affects Policy for Western Agriculture" led by Professors John Antle and JunJie Wu, Oregon State University, with participation of scientists and stakeholders. 

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The conference is sponsored by OreCal, an Agricultural and Resource Policy Research collaboration between the Center for Agricultural & Environmental Policy at Oregon State University and the University of California Agricultural Issues Center.

More information about the conference is online at http://aic.ucdavis.edu/events/orecal_conference.html

Registration is $100, $50 for students, and covers conference materials, meals and the postconference reception. To register with a credit card, visit http://conferences.ucdavis.edu/farmbill. To register by check or UC Davis account, please contact Jonathan Barker at [email protected]. May 9 is the last day to register online.

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