2020 Round Table Meetings

Jan. 8-10, 2020 – Washington, DC
The Next Generation of Agricultural Policy

Day 1
Welcome Session: Tomorrow’s Legislative Policy
Moderator: Michael Torrey, Michael Torrey Associates
Speakers: Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Rep. Colin Peterson (D-MN-7)
Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX-11)

Opening Keynote: The Next Policy Developers
Moderator: Shari Rogge-Fidler, Farm Foundation
Speaker: Leslie Sarasin, CEO, Food Marketing Institute

Session One: The Rising Tide of State-Centric Food and Ag Policy
Moderator: Becky Doyle, the Context Network
Speakers: Michael Scuse, Delaware Department of Agriculture
Derek Sandison, Washington State Department of Agriculture
Jonathan Coppess, University of Illinois

Session Two: Creating Policy from the Bench
Moderator: Gary Baise, OFW Law
Speakers: Harrison Pittman, the National Agricultural Law Center
Jake Li, Environmental Policy Innovation Center
Paul Snyder, Tillamook County Creamery Association

Session Three: The Role of the Executive Branch in Policy Creation Moderator: Bruce Knight, Strategic Conservation Solutions
Speaker: Andrew Wheeler, Environmental Protection Agency

Closing Afternoon Keynote: Can Agriculture Save the Planet?
Moderator: Shari Rogge-Fidler
Speaker: Jack Bobo, Founder, Futurity

Day 2
Session Four: How the Public is Affecting Public
Moderator: Jeff Grev, Hormel Foods
Speakers: Tony Wesner, Rose Acre Farms
Chris Adamo, Danone
Richard Owen, Produce Marketing Association

Closing Keynote: The Impact of the Urban/Rural Divide on Tomorrow’s Government
Moderator: Craig Yunker, CY Farms
Speaker: Jim Wiesemeyer, Pro Farmer

June 18-19, 2020 – Virtual
Urgent Issues for Food and Agriculture in a Post-COVID-19 World

Day 1
Opening Keynote
Speaker: Sonny Perdue, 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture

Welcome & Keynote
Speaker: Brad Smith, President, Microsoft

Virtual Tour

Global View
Speaker: Ambassador Kip Tom, U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome

Closing Remarks

Day 2
Welcome & Recognitions

Introduction to Farm Foundation’s Next Generation Programs
Speaker: Shari Rogge-Fidler

Panel One: Urgent Issues in Animal Agriculture
Moderator: Carol Keiser-Long, C-BAR Cattle Co., Inc. & C-ARC Enterprises, Inc.
Cultivators: Becky Hawkins, Auburn University
Michael Fioretto, University of Florida
Abigail Cox, Cornell University

Panel Two: Urgent Issues in Plant/Crop Production
Moderator: Craig Gunderson, University of Illinois
Cultivators: Heidi Borg, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Kevin Zhang, University of Illinois
Matthias Kunerth, South Dakota State University

Closing Remarks