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Monday, December 6
7-8 a.m.
Registrations and Continental Breakfast
8-9:30
Economic, Legal, and Policy Update
The conference will kick-off with an update on the global and domestic economy. Topics will include global markets, the Farm Bill, energy and other domestic policies affecting cooperatives.
Terry Barr, Senior Director of Industry Research, Knowledge
Exchange Division, Cobank
William Oemichen, President and CEO, Cooperative Network
10:00 – 10:45
Agriculture and Antitrust Enforcement
Speakers will discuss the issues raised in these workshops and the potential legistative and policy changes. What are the next steps in this process? How are cooperatives responding?
Brent Hueth, Associate Professor and Director, University of
Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives
Marlis Carson, Senior Vice President and General Counsel,
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
10:45 - Noon
Cooperatives, Agriculture, and Water Resource Policies
How can cooperatives help their members manage scarce resources, such as water? Panelists will share a Colorado perspective on cooperative initiatives and water policies/practices.
Christopher Goemans, Assistant Professor, Colorado State
University
James Pritchett, Associate Professor, Colorado State University
Keith W. Devoe, General Manager, Roggen Farmer's
Elevator Association
Noon-1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 2:00
Uncertainty and Volatility in Global and Domestic Markets
Robert Engel, President and CEO, CoBank
2:30 – 4:00
Strategies for Growth
Success strategies for cooperatives as they seek to access capital, develop markets, and monitor investments.
Bradley A. Miller, Vice
President, Practice Leader of Auctions & Competitive Bidding, CRA
International
Stefan Shaffer, Managing Partner, SPP Capital
Partners and SPP Mezzanine Partners
Mike Jackson,
President and CEO, Adayana
4:00 – 5:15
What’s going on in Governance?
Cooperative boards face increasingly serious decisions as a generation of leadership nears retirement. They need to build capacity within the board, while monitoring succession planning policies for staff. This session will focus on the board's role in leadership development and strategic planning.
Jim Hoyt, Vice President, Strategic Planning and Corporate
Services, Growmark, Inc.
Brent Hueth, Associate Professor and Director, University of
Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives
Les Hardesty, Chair, Mountain Area Council,
Dairy Farmers of America
5:30 – 6:30 Reception
6:30 – 8:30 Dinner and presentation
The challenges and benefits of harnessing the power of the Internet, social media and information sources of the future.
David Warlick, Director, The Landmark Project
Sponsored by the Ralph K. Morris Foundation
Tuesday December 7
8:00 – 9:00
Global Farmer/Cooperative Roundtable: Agriculture in the global economy; implications for cooperatives
Building a successful strategy in a global environment requires flexibility and knowledge. How are farmers and cooperatives meeting these challenges?
Rick Browne, Senior Vice President, Grain Marketing, CHS
Duane Nelson, President, Genex Cooperative, Inc.
9:00-9:30
eXtension: A Cooperative Community of Practice
Changing times and technologies have created the oppotunity for a centralized, online extension resource about cooperatives-- a tool for cooperative leaders, policy makers, and the public.
Gregory McKee, Assistant Professor and Director, Quentin Burdick
Center for Cooperatives, North Dakota State University
10:00 – Noon
Customers of the Future: Sustainability and Food
Sustainability is increasingly viewed as the key to future profitability. For food companies, access to agricultural inputs is an increasing concern. Do cooperatives have a competitive advantage in this environment as they address issues like water, energy and labor?
Chris Peterson, Professor, Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University
Sarah Stokes Alexander, Director, Sustainability and Leadership Program,
The Keystone Center
Russell Williams, Director, Regulatory Relations, American Farm
Bureau
For questions about the conference program, contact:
Anne Reynolds, Assistant Director
UW Center for Cooperatives
(608) 263-4775
atreynol@wisc.edu