Released: June 20, 2001

Risk and Profit Conference Slated For Aug. 16-17

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Today’s agribusinesses, including farming operations, must be concerned with everything from consumer preferences to environmental issues to employee hiring practices and everything in between. Those topics and more will be covered at the annual Risk and Profit Conference sponsored by Kansas State University’s Department of Agricultural Economics.

"This will be our sixth year of putting this conference on, and we believe this may be the best so far," said Terry Kastens, K-State Research and Extension agricultural economist and conference coordinator.

The conference will be held at the Manhattan Holiday Inn on Aug. 16-17. The registration fee is $150 per person if paid by Aug. 13, or $175 if paid after that date. Group discounts are available.

To register, or for more information, interested persons can contact Michelle Allison at (785) 532-1504 or visit http://www.agecon.ksu.edu on the World Wide Web and click on "Risk and Profit Conference."

"Farm-to-farm income variability is large and growing larger," Kastens said. "The most successful managers are distancing themselves ever farther from unsuccessful ones by capitalizing on change – through cutting costs, increasing production, faster technology adoption, or better risk management. But, the widening gap between the haves and have-nots greatly impacts rural communities as well as farms."

"Regardless," he said, "the first step to benefitting from change is understanding it better – and that is what this annual conference is all about."

"Maybe that’s why our audience has been so broad," Kastens said, adding that typically about half of the participants are producers from Kansas and surrounding states. The other half are educators, lenders, consultants, and farm managers.

Barry Flinchbaugh, K-State Extension State Leader in Agricultural Economics will discuss "Government Programs: A Dose of Truth Serum or Myth Debunking?" at the Thursday luncheon. Luther Tweeten, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University, will speak at the Thursday evening dinner on "Commodity Programs: Why is Bad Economics Such Good Policy?"

A "Grain and Livestock Outlook" will be presented by agricultural economists Bill Tierney and James Mintert.

Numerous "hot topics" will be addressed in breakout sessions, Kastens said, including the latest thinking on the upcoming Farm Bill, whether large farms have intrinsic advantages, and presentations on foot-and-mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE].

Seventeen other breakout sessions will allow attendees to tailor the conference to their specific needs.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Mary Lou Peter, Communications Specialist
mlpeter@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News