Contact: Sarah Tveidt, Communications Director, 605.330.9942
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Now that South Dakota farmers have wrapped up the 2015 growing season, it’s time to plan for the upcoming year. The South Dakota Soybean Association brings this opportunity to farmers at the Eleventh Annual AgOutlook Conference & Trade Show on December 10 at the Ramkota Exhibit Hall in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Registration is required for the free, one-day conference and trade show. Register online at www.sdsoybean.org or call the South Dakota Soybean Office at 605.330.9942. Registration is also available at the door.
The event kicks-off at 9:30 a.m. with the opening of the Trade Show Floor. With more than 65 exhibitors, farmers will have the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and learn about emerging trends.
The event also features the following educational sessions and notable speakers on some of the most important topics impacting agriculture right now. View the full agenda here.
Tommy Grisafi, Commodity Risk Management Advisor — 10:30 a.m.
Risk Management
Tommy Grisafi, a commodity risk management advisor at Advance Trading in DeMotte, Indiana, developed interest in managing risk in 1990 when he attended a class field trip to the Chicago Board of Trade in high school. Grisafi became a recognized member of the CBOT and CME Group when he turned 21 and has maintained this status for 21 years. In addition to his position as an Ag Risk Management Consultant and an independent trader, he also operates “Ag Squawk,” a weekly round table discussion among ag industry leaders and enjoys public speaking at farm meetings and events.
Evelyn Browning Garris, Historical Climatologist — 1 p.m.
El Niño, the Twisted Atlantic and our Global Economy
Climate events thousands of miles away can hit the global economy and your investments. An El Niño can make it cheaper to buy a salad and raise the price of your cup of coffee. Cocoa futures can soar while the price of corn drops. The U.S. can bask in a quiet hurricane season, while China battles floods and droughts and India bakes in a weak monsoon. Meanwhile Europe faces weather it hasn’t seen for over a decade. Evelyn Browning-Garriss shares her insights about changing climate – not just the mantra of “global warming” but the short and long-term natural factors that are shaping your local weather and investments.
Damian Mason, Entertainer — 3 p.m.
Humor for the Heart of Agriculture
Damian Mason is a professional speaker, entertainer, writer, businessman and farm owner. Mason has a degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University. He has also studied comedy writing and improvisation at The Second City in Chicago. Mason is passionate about the industry of feeding, fueling and clothing the world. His presentations are funny, smart, professional and, above all, respectful to the people of agriculture. He and his wife Lori live and work on a 200-acre beef, grain and timber farm in Huntington, Indiana.
Speakers for the Eleventh Annual AgOutlook Conference and Tradeshow are sponsored by the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council.
For more information about the Eleventh Annual AgOutlook Conference and Tradeshow, visit www.sdsoybean.org.