With sessions related to everything from ethanol to climate change to farm policy and more, the K-State Risk and Profit Conference will touch on numerous topics relevant to farmers and ranchers working in today´s business environment.

The conference, to be held Aug. 14-15 at the K-State Alumni Center in Manhattan, will begin with senior economist Jason Henderson of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, presenting the Fed´s view of the economy at noon on Thurs., Aug. 14. A second general session on Thursday night will feature K-State agricultural economist Troy Dumler, discussing relevant features of the new farm bill and how it will impact Kansas farmers. The conference will also feature a Livestock and Grain Outlook session with K-State livestock and grain marketing economists James Mintert and Mike Woolverton at the Friday morning breakfast.

"The Risk and Profit Conference is designed to give agricultural producers and affiliated businesses a competitive edge in their operations," said James Mintert, K-State professor of agricultural economics and state agricultural economics leader for K-State Research and Extension. "Presentations on farm management, technology, marketing, and policy issues in agriculture are scheduled by the Department of Agricultural Economics faculty. With all the volatility we´re experiencing in the ag sector, this year´s conference will be provide good insight into what lies ahead."

Participants will be able to choose up to eight from a total of 19 breakout sessions during the conference. The sessions will include such topics as Global Supply and Demand: Can We Feed the World?; A New Risk Era? Are Traditional Risk Management Tools Still Effective?; Livestock: Who Wins, Who Loses and Why?; Managing the Threat of $3 Corn; Credit Scores of Kansas Farmers; Impact of Climate Change on Irrigated Agriculture in NW Kansas; and many more.

The early registration fee is $195 for the first attendee from an organization and $175 for a second or more if paid by Aug. 6. After Aug. 6, the fee is $220 for the first attendee and $200 for the second or more. The fee includes all sessions; meals (two lunches, one dinner and one breakfast); conference proceedings on compact disk and parking.

More information about the conference and K-State´s Extension agricultural economics programs is available on the Web: http://www.agmanager.info or by contacting Rich Llewelyn at 785-532-1504 or [email protected].