Nebraska Department of Agriculture

Photo by: Riley Eisenhauer, Farnam, NE – Age 12

Nebraska Agriculture:
Today’s Challenges, Tomorrow’s Opportunities

A message from Governor Heineman.

I'd like to invite you to the 24th Annual Governor's Ag Conference.

This event is one way to highlight new opportunities in this growing and increasingly diverse industry. While the practice of agriculture continues to change and evolve, one constant is that this industry continues to play an essential role in our state economy. Thank you for your contributions to Nebraska's largest economic engine.

I look forward to seeing you in Kearney.

Conference Agenda Printable Schedule

Wednesday, February 15
2:30 p.m.	Conference Registration Opens Outside Ballroom 1
3:30 p.m.	Conference Begins Ballroom 1
	Welcome and Announcements Greg Ibach, Director Nebraska Department of Agriculture Opening Comments and Remarks Rick Sheehy, Lt. Governor State of Nebraska
4:00 p.m.	"Bridging the Gap" Willow Holoubek, Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) Dawn Caldwell, Common Ground Nebraska Pete McClymont, We Support Agriculture
6:00 p.m.	The “Celebrate Nebraska Agriculture” Reception Loper Hall
7:00 p.m.	"Y.O.G.O.W.Y.P.I." Bill Cordes
Thursday, February 16
8:00 a.m.	Conference Registration Opens Continental Breakfast (7:30-9 a.m.) Outside Ballroom 1
9:00 a.m.	Conference Begins Ballroom 1 Welcome and Announcements Greg Ibach, Director Nebraska Department of Agriculture Welcome and Comments Dave Heineman, Governor State of Nebraska
9:15 a.m.	"2012 Farm Bill: Meeting the Needs of Nebraska Agriculture Today and in the Future" Bruce Knight, Principal and Founder, Strategic Conservation Solutions
10:10 a.m.	“NAYI 2012 – We’re Growing Places” Ethan Smith & Melissa Keyes NAYI Coordinators, Nebraska Department of Agriculture
10:15 a.m.	BREAK
10:30 a.m.	"The World Needs Nebraska" Dr. Archie Clutter, Dean, Agricultural Research Division and Director, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Stations, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska
11:00 a.m.	"World Agriculture Growth and the U.S. Role" Bill Holbrook, Researcher and Analyst, The ProExporter Network
11:30 a.m.	Dismiss to Luncheon Loper Hall
11:45 a.m.	Lunch Introduction of Nebraska Agricultural Youth Council Invocation "Debt, Global competition and Nebraska Agriculture" John Doggett, Senior Lecturer of International Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainability and Senior Research Fellow, University of Texas at Austin