Minnesota Farmfest will be held August 2-4 on the Gilfillan Estate, northwest of Morgan on Hwy. 67.

With elections coming up later this year, Farmfest organizers line up political candidates for Q&A from news reporters and from those in the audience.

Educational sessions this year include:

Tuesday, August 2 - Ag Innovators' Day
9:00 a.m.
Producer FRED Talks

Farmfest visitors. Gov. Mark Dayton is scheduled to appear at Farmfest, Wednesday, Aug. 3. Two political candidate panels also are scheduled during the event.

A continuation of the successful FRED Talks (Farmer Rancher Education) presented at the 2016 AFBF Annual Convention, the producer-led FRED Talks will focus on real-world application of innovative technologies and solutions. Three Minnesota producers will present for 15-minutes each on the exciting new things they are doing to push their productions into the next century.

10:30 a.m. Tuesday
Congressional Candidates Forum, 1st, 6th, 7th, & 8th Districts.

Invited candidates are Congressman Tim Walz (D), (1st); Congressman Tom Emmer (R), (6th); Congressman Collin Peterson (D), (7th); Congressman Rick Nolan (D), (8th); Jim Hagedorn (R), (1st); Steve Williams (R), (1st); David Snyder (D), (6th); Bob Helland (D), (6th); Patrick Munro (R), (6th); A.J. Kern (R), (6th); David Hughes (R), (7th); Amanda Lynn Hinson (R), (7th); Stewart Mills (R), (8th)

1:15 p.m.
Keynote Presentation: The Food and Agriculture Industry... Transitioning into the Future

Speaker: Steve Peterson, Retired Director of Sourcing Sustainability, General Mills & Michael Doane, Director of Working Lands, The Nature Conservancy of St. Louis

2:30 p.m.
Minnesota 4-H Science of Ag Challenge Presentations. Five teams from of the Science of Ag Challenge will present their products and solutions. During the presentations, viewers will be able to vote on their favorite team. The winners will receive additional scholarship money. Participating teams are Dakota County- InfiniHeat; Beltrami County- VersaLime; Scott County- 4-H 2-0; Le Sueur County- There's an App for That; •Meeker County- Where's the Beef?

Wednesday, August 3
9:00 a.m.
Ag Weather and Grain Marketing Update. Presented by: Mark Schultz, North Star Commodities

10:30 a.m. Wednesday
Congressional Candidates Forum, 2nd, & 3rd Districts. Invited Candidates: Congressman Eric Paulson (R), (3rd); Angie Craig (D), (2nd); Jason Lewis (R), (2nd); Darlene Miller (R), (2nd); John Howe (R), (2nd); Paula Overby (I), (2nd); Terri Bonhoff (D), (3rd)

1:15 p.m. Wednesday
Buffers, WOTUS, and Other Water Quality Issues
Keynote Address: Governor Mark Dayton & Scott VanderWal, American Farm Bureau Federation Vice President

Panel Members: Don Parrish, senior policy analyst, American Farm Bureau; Roger Johnson, president, National Farmers Union; Rep. Paul Torkelson, Minnesota State Legislature; Lawrence Sukalski, board member, American Soybean Growers Association; Kirby Hettver, secretary, Minnesota Corn Growers Association; Warren Formo, executive director, Minnesota Ag Water Resource Center; Dave Weirens, assistant director, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources; Matt Wohlman, assistant Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture

Thursday, August 4 - Minnesota Farm Family Day
9:00 a.m.
Post-Harvest Marketing Tips (featuring my best friends). Speaker: Ed Usset, Grain Marketing Specialist, Univeristy of Minnesota

10:30 a.m. Thursday
Strategizing to Address Challenging Farm Financial Issues. Panel Members: Bev Durgan, Dean, University of Minnesota Extension; Bob Craven, Director, U-M Center for Farm Financial Management; David Bau, U-M Extension Farm Management educator; Pauline Van Nurden, U-M Extension Farm Management educator

1:15 p.m. Thursday
University of Minnesota Extension Farm Family of the Year Program. The Farm Family of the Year Recognition Program has existed for over two decades and honors farm families from throughout Minnesota for their contributions to the agriculture industry and their local communities. This event will honor approximately 70 families, one from each county, who will be named a “2016 Farm Family of the Year.”

For more information about Farmfest, visit http://www.ideaggroup.com/farmfest