TIP: Wisconsin Agricultural Economic Outlook Conference

Media representatives are invited to attend the annual Wisconsin Agricultural Economic Outlook Forum on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St., on the UW–Madison campus.

This is an opportunity to get an update on the financial health of Wisconsin agriculture and the outlook for the year to come. There will be a room available for broadcast interviews. See the agenda at http://www.cals.wisc.edu/agoutlook/agenda14.html.

The program, organized by the UW–Madison’s Renk Agribusiness Institute, coincides with the release of the Status of Wisconsin Agriculture 2014, a situation and outlook report prepared by the university’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. The report will also be available for download beginning Jan. 22 at http://www.aae.wisc.edu/pubs/status/

There are two parts to Wednesday’s event:

– A pre-forum luncheon (11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.) will include a panel discussion on how Wisconsin’s dairy industry was able to retool and set new records in milk production after years of decline. Panelists will include Mark Stephenson, Director of the UW Center for Dairy Profitability; Ben Brancel, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; and Corey Geiger, managing editor, Hoard’s Dairyman. The lunch requires pre-registration (by Friday, Jan. 17) and costs $15.

– The Outlook Forum, from 1-3:45 p.m., is free and open to the public. UW economists and commodity specialists will talk about how the state’s overall ag sector and its major commodities fared last year and the prospects for 2014.

For more information contact Liz Henry, eahenry@wisc.edu or (608) 262-9485.