Agricultural lenders and community and rural leaders who are planning to attend the Rural Economic Outlook Conference taking place Nov. 9 on Oklahoma State University’s Stillwater campus should register immediately.

Cost is $50 if registering prior to Nov. 1 and $75 thereafter or at the door. Registration includes the Nov. 8 catered reception and breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks during the Nov. 9 conference.

Registration forms are available online at http://agecon.okstate.edu/extension/ruralconference.asp or by contacting Kareta Casey of the OSU department of agricultural economics at 405-744-9836.

Damona Doye, OSU Cooperative Extension farm management specialist, said participants are asked to pre-register, if possible.

“Not only is there a cost savings, it greatly aids the planning process and helps ensure that sufficient numbers of meals, refreshments and conference materials are on hand,” she said. “We want to make the conference as useful and enjoyable as possible to all participants.”

The 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday conference will take place at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, located on Hester Street across from the Student Union.

“We’re especially pleased to have OSU Distinguished Agriculture Alumnus Dick Crowder, professor of international trade at Virginia Tech University, on hand to provide insights about the implications of globalization on Oklahoma and U.S. agriculture, and Chad Wilkerson of the Oklahoma City branch of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, who will lead a session on The Fed and the economy in the United States and Oklahoma,” Doye said.

Additional sessions will provide the latest information about the U.S. farm bill, as well as economic and environmental issues relating to agricultural production, management and land use, among others.

Sessions will be led by experts Larry Elworth of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Terry Detrick of American Farmers and Ranchers; Bart Fischer, senior economist for the U.S. House of Representatives’ agriculture committee; and OSU agricultural economists Doye, Shannon Ferrell, Kim Anderson, Derrell Peel and Jody Campiche of the university’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

The Nov. 8 catered reception will begin at 5 p.m. in The Atherton Hotel at OSU, located adjacent to the Student Union.

“Conference participants also are invited to attend the Nov. 10 tailgating event hosted by our OSU Aggie-X Club prior to the Cowboys football game against West Virginia University,” Doye said.

Conference sponsors include the division, Payne County Bank, The Central National Bank of Alva and the Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma.

Anyone seeking additional information about the Nov. 9 Rural Economic Outlook Conference at OSU should contact the division’s department of agricultural economics at 405-744-6161.