2015 Agricultural Outlook Forum speakers announced by USDA

Dec 10, 2014

Arlington, Virginia to hold event

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

The United States Department of Agriculture released the list of speakers for their upcoming agricultural meetings scheduled for early next year.

Darci Vetter, Chief Agricultural Negotiator and Ambassador of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representatives will be joined by USDA’s Chief Economist Joseph Glauber, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, President of the Council on Foreign Affairs Richard Haass, and over 100 experts to discuss topics ranging from commodity situations and outlooks to bee/pollinator issues facing agriculture.

The two day event, whose theme is “Smart Agriculture in the 21st Century: A Discussion on Innovation, Biotechnology, and Big Data” is set for the weekend of February 19 and 20 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel.

The sessions will feature a roundtable discussion on food, foreign policy and international order, and a symposium dubbed “Tomorrow’s Opportunities,” which will analyze the benefits of agriculture as a career path for new and inexperienced ranchers and farmers.

Since being held for the first time in 1923, the 91st Agricultural Outlook Forum will provide a one-stop-shop of farmers and ranchers, government officials, and industry experts in the same place to discuss and debate the pressing issues within the agricultural community.

Video: LALEXPERT: Sclerotinia cycle and prophylactic methods

White rot, also known as sclerotinia, is a common agricultural fungal disease caused by various virulent species of Sclerotinia. It initially affects the root system (mycelium) before spreading to the aerial parts through the dissemination of spores.

Sclerotinia is undoubtedly a disease of major economic importance, and very damaging in the event of a heavy attack.

All these attacks come from the primary inoculum stored in the soil: sclerotia. These forms of resistance can survive in the soil for over 10 years, maintaining constant contamination of susceptible host crops, causing symptoms on the crop and replenishing the soil inoculum with new sclerotia.