Show-Me State Times

Former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt will be the keynote luncheon speaker at the 2024 Abner W. Womack Missouri Agriculture Outlook Conference, scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, at the University of Missouri Bradford Research Farm near Columbia, Missouri.

According to Ben Brown, senior research associate with FAPRI and conference organizer, "The outlook for Missouri agriculture is higher production in 2024 because of a rebound in yields, lower grain and oilseed prices more than offsetting a slight decline in input prices, and lower government payments." Brown also noted that Missouri livestock producers should see improved profitability this year compared to 2023 due to higher prices and lower feed costs. However, he mentioned, "drought conditions liquidated herd sizes leaving fewer market-ready animals."

As the 10th annual conference bearing Abner Womack's name, the event will feature various panels and discussions. The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources is dedicated to assisting Missouri's farmers in achieving success by providing valuable information and analysis to policymakers. The conference will include a U.S. commodity panel with organizations such as the American Soybean Association, the National Cotton Council of America, and the American Farm Bureau, as well as a panel of policy experts from the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture committees, the International Food Policy & Research Institute, and the American Sugar Alliance.

Furthermore, an international panel will cover global issues relevant to U.S. agriculture, featuring FAPRI's partners from around the world, including the University of Nevada Reno, the Bureau for Food Agricultural Policy in South Africa, and Teagasc in Ireland. Joe Outlaw and Bart Fischer, co-directors of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M, will provide a farm finance update at the conference.

The event will begin with registration and networking at 8 a.m. and will run until 3:30 p.m. at 4968 Rangeline Rd, Columbia, MO, 65201.