Agriculture Conference: Exploring Sustainability: Farm-Level Economics in the Near Term, Resource Efficiency in the Long Run
24 Mar 2010 8:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Renaissance Philadelphia Hotel Airport 500 Stevens Drive Philadelphia, PA 19113 Telephone: +1.610.521.5900 Registration deadline: 19 March		Register for this Event    Agenda    Hotel Registration    Payment Form
Following the boom in the U.S. agricultural industry in 2007 and 2008, the worst global economic downturn since the Great Depression added to agriculture's challenges in 2009. The U.S. agricultural industry faces many uncertainties for 2010 and beyond. Moving forward, concerns remain: How will the recovery play out in the U.S. agricultural industry over the next two years, and what are the major risks to a recovery scenario? How will the outlook for agriculture change if a significant downside scenario becomes reality? How will the agricultural outlook impact the sustainability of your business? In this full-day conference, IHS Global Insight expert analysts will discuss the most significant issues affecting the agricultural outlook for the United States. We will outline the most likely path for the major drivers in U.S. agriculture over the next two years, as well as the important risk factors that may throw this most-likely scenario into a tailspin. As the day progresses, we will weave a subset of these risks into a "perfect storm" downside scenario with direct implications for your contingency plans for 2010 and 2011. While sustainability is linked to farm-level economics in the short run, its long-term success depends on a much broader set of considerations, particularly relating to more efficient use of resources. IHS Global Insight has been heavily involved in a national effort to define metrics for sustainability measurement of commodity agricultural production in the United States. Our afternoon sessions will offer insights into sustainability based on our work to date, as well as discussions on two hot topics within agricultural sustainability measurement: water quality and availability; and crop and livestock traceability.