A Salute to Abner Womack, including an agricultural policy panel, will be held Sept. 23 at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Womack, founder of the MU Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), has provided policy analysis to the nation for over 27 years. FAPRI was funded by the U.S. Congress to provide independent analysis of proposed legislation, including all farm bills.

The Salute will recognize Womack’s many contributions to MU as well as to U.S. agricultural economics and policy, said William Meyers, former co-director of FAPRI with Womack in recent years.

The program and following reception will be held at the Old Alumni Center on Carrie Francke Drive off of Stadium Boulevard near the MU Golf Course.

The program starts at 2 p.m. with talks by world policy leaders who have worked with Womack. The panel will be moderated by Stanley Johnson, a FAPRI co-founder and now professor emeritus of Iowa State University.

Panelists include:

A reception will follow at 3:30 p.m.

Retirement testimonials will be given starting at 4 p.m., led by Tom Payne, Dean of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Former students, friends, colleagues and collaborators will speak.

An endowment fund will be created to honor Womack’s life work.

“The food and agriculture system in the United States has depended on the economic modeling and analysis by FAPRI,” Meyers said. “The FAPRI Baseline is awaited eagerly each year.”

FAPRI has been a training ground for students who are future leaders and analysts, he added.