The Organization for Competitive Markets held their 2006 Annual Food and Agricultural Conference – “Agricultural Economics, Law and Policy” in Omaha, Nebraska on July 21, 2006. The convention program included two panels of nationally renowned experts.
The first panel ‘s topic was “Global Competition & The Next Farm Bill”. The panel included John Dittrich - former Vice-President and Senior Policy Analyst for the American Corn Growers Association, Dr. Bill Heffernan – Professor Emeritus (Rural Sociology) – University of Missouri, and Dr. Daryll Ray – Director, University of Tennessee Agricultural Policy Analysis Center.
Fred Stokes, Executive Director,
discusses “The Case for a Conference on Globalization and Free Trade”
The second panel discussed “The Courts, USDA, and the Future of the Family Farm”. This discussion was lead by Cap Dierks – former Nebraska State Senator and Chair of the Nebraska Legislature’s Agriculture Committee, Roger McEowen, J.D. – Leonard Dolezar Professor of Agricultural Law at Iowa State University and author of numerous articles and books on Agricultural Law, and David Domina, J.D. – Distinguished agricultural anti-trust attorney and lead counsel in the Pickett v. Tyson price fixing case.
These panels examined the relationship between globalization and the necessities for the next farm bill, and the impact of recent court decisions on the role of the USDA and the family farm. The final afternoon speaker was Fred Stokes, OCM’s Executive Director. His discussion was on “The Case for a Conference on Globalization and Free Trade”.
During his presentation, he madethe case for holding a series of conferences on the impacts, shortfalls, and alternatives to globalization and free trade.
The banquet speaker was Roger McEowen, an Iowa State University Law professor. He addressed the group on integration and concentration in all agricultural sectors, trade regulations and enforcement, and farm bill policy.
Next year’s OCM Annual Food and Agricultural Conference will be held July 20-21, 2007 at the Downtown Doubletree, Omaha, Nebraska.
