Tuesday, October 7, 2014 10:00-4:00 - Animal Protein Seminar
1:30-4:15 - Tour of Port of New Orleans 1:00-4:00 - Soybean Meal and Corn Risk Mitigation Seminar Presented By: Doug Prohaska, Senior Risk Manager, FCStone, LLC
This short course seminar is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of corporate commodity risk policy and advanced real-time soybean meal and corn user risk mitigation strategies. Examples of meal and corn hedging using futures, options, futures spreads and OTC customized structures will be presented.
4:45-5:00 - Welcome Remarks on the Agribusiness Expo floor Gary LaGrange, President and CEO, Port of New Orleans
5:00-5:30 - Opening Address: Meeting the Challenges of Sustainable Agricultural Commodity Procurement David Brown, Vice President of Global Commodities, Mondelēz International Join us for the event’s opening presentation as the Vice President of Global Commodities for Mondelēz International, one of the world’s largest snack food companies, addresses the challenges that major food companies are facing as they implement sustainable procurement strategies for agricultural commodities and the implications that these initiatives are likely to have in upstream markets.
5:30-7:30 - Opening Reception Sponsored by:
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
7:30-8:30 - Breakfast 8:30-9:00 - Opening Comments, Presentation Philippe de Lapérouse , Managing Director, HighQuest Partners
Based on HighQuest Partners’ work advising clients on how to address challenges and opportunities across the global food and agricultural supply chain, Philippe de Lapérouse will discuss some of the major trends facing the industry in 2015 and beyond, including:
9:00-10:00 - Global Oilseed and Grains Update Tom Scott, CEO, Informa Economics, Inc. Growth in demand for animal and vegetable protein and fats and oils continues unabated. This session will provide insights into the direction in which the demand and supply of protein meals, vegetable oils and feed grains are headed in the near and medium term.
10:00-10:45 - Keynote Address: The Impact of International Trade on Global Food Security James C. Borel, Executive Vice President, DuPont Jim Borel, Executive Vice President, DuPont will discuss the impact that international trade, food and regulatory policies are having on global food security. He will share insights about how government, private sector and industry organizations can collaborate to promote sound import and export policies, and regulatory frameworks that help facilitate a more rapid introduction of technology to improve agricultural productivity in food insecure regions in particular.
10:45-11:25 - Coffee Break Coffee Break Sponsored by: Exhibit Presentation by: on the Ag Expo Stage
11:25-11:55 - The Impact of Shifts in Farm Policy in Major Markets on Agricultural Production and Trade Gary Blumenthal, President & Chief Executive Officer, World Perspectives Gary Blumenthal, who has monitored and analyzed the impact of government policies on global agriculture for more than 25 years, will address key developments which will affect trade flows and what this means for participants active in the global supply chain.
11:55 -12:40 - Industry Game Changers in 2015 Moderator: Daniel Redo, Manager, Agriculture Research Commodities Research & Forecasts, Thomson Reuters Lanworth Panelists: Dr. Michael Swanson, Agricultural Economist, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank N.A Jim Tobin, VP Industry Affairs, Monsanto Mark Zenuk, Managing Director of NGP Global Agribusiness Partners
2015 is expected to bring disruption, challenges and opportunities to the oilseed and grains sector globally. This panel comprised of industry experts and executives will explore the key trends likely to shape 2015 and beyond, including:
12:40-2:00 - Lunch
2:00-2:45 - Concurrent Track Sessions:
Crop Production: Soy Crop Tour 2014 Illinois Soybean Association Speaker TBD
This session will address development in the U.S. 2014 soybean crop season focusing on:
Feed: Impact of U.S. and Brazil on the Global Corn Market Sponsored by: Moderator: Daniel Redo, Manager, Agriculture Research Commodities Research & Forecasts, Thomson Reuters Lanworth Panelists: Dr. Peter Goldsmith, Director, Food and Agribusiness Management Program, Associate Professor, Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois While the U.S. continues to lead in global corn production and exports, within the past five years Brazil has emerged as a major player in the global corn trade.
Transportation and Infrastructure: Containerized Sponsored by: Shipment of Ag Commodities Peter Friedmann, Executive Director, AgTC Agriculture Transportation Coalition
While the use of containers for the shipment of agricultural commodities has grown significantly over the past decade, changes in the trade flow of other industrial goods has had a dramatic impact on their availability for shipping agriculture commodities.
2:45-3:30 - Concurrent Track Sessions:
Crop Production: Development in the Global Wheat Market Moderator: Philippe de Lapérouse, Managing Director, HighQuest Partners Panelists: Emily French, Managing Director, ConsiliAgra Dr. William W. Wilson, University Distinguished Professor, North Dakota State University
With growing populations in traditional wheat markets such as the Middle East and North Africa, demand for wheat for use in food and feed is growing on a global basis putting pressure on other oilseed and grain crops.
Feed: Global Trends in the Compound Feed Sector Aidan Connolly, Vice President of Corporate Accounts, AllTech
As global demand for animal protein continues to increase, annual demand for industrial compound feed is fast approaching 1 billion metric tons annually.
Transportation and Infrastructure: Infrastructure Investments in Three Key Regions: Brazil, China, and the U.S. Dr. Walter Kemmsies, Chief Economist, Moffatt & Nichol
As demand for feed and foodstuffs in China increases and as Brazil and the U.S. vie for the position of leading exporter in several major agricultural commodities, the infrastructure both countries rely on to assure the efficient movement of agricultural commodities will become increasingly critical.
3:30-4:10 Coffee Break Sponsored by:
4:10-4:55 - Concurrent Tracks:
Food and Ingredients: Global Food Trends and their Impact on Food Ingredients Kara L. VanKleek, Global Marketing Director, CHS Inc. Processing & Food Ingredients
Consumer food trends can be either short-term fads or can develop into a new market paradigm, which requires adaptation by participants along the supply chain.
Sustainability: Reducing Waste in the Agribusiness Value Chain Hugh Welsh, President, DSM North America
By some estimates, over 50% of food and food ingredients are wasted along the agribusiness supply chain, at both the production level (particularly in developing markets) and at the consumption level in developed markets. Addressing this waste would help to alleviate pressure to supply sufficient quantities of calories to the growing global population in the future.
Logistics: Safety and Quality Control Challenges Throughout the Feed and Food Supply Chain Douglas Marshall, Chief Scientific Officer, Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories Inc.
With growing dependence of major destination markets on food imports, oversight on the supply chain to assure that products are delivered as per contractual quality standards and to detect adulteration of food products and ingredients is represents a major challenge for complex supply chains.
4:55-5:40 - Concurrent Track Sessions:
With growing demand for vegetable oils in food, energy and industrial applications, the contribution of the oil leg to oilseed crush margin continues to remain high. Our panel of experts will discuss trends in demand and the use of vegetable oils and what this means for the industry.
Sustainability: Do Biofuels Have a Sustainable Future? Moderator: Curt Goulding, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, INTL FCStone Inc Panelists: Geoff Cooper, Senior Vice President of Research and Analysis, Renewable Fuels Association Dr. Michael Swanson, Agricultural Economist, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank N.A This panel of experts will debate the likely future of renewable energy derived from biofuels, focusing on the following issues:
Logistics: Addressing Procurement Challenges for Non-GMO, Specialty and Organic Crops Moderator: Paul Smolen, Principal, AgriNetworks Panelists: LaVerne Klecker, Director of Procurement, SunOpta (Raw Materials Sourcing & Supply) Tom Kopp, Manager,Commodities and Ingredients, World Food Processing, LLC Darwin Rader, International Sales Manager, Zeeland Farm Services, Inc.
With increasing consumer interest in and demand for non-GMO and organic products in the U.S, a growing number of major retailers have announced plans to supply products at competitive prices points in an effort to increase their availability to an expanding segment of consumers.
5:40-7:15 - Reception
7:15-8:15 - Breakfast
8:15-8:20 - Opening Remarks 8:20-9:05 - El Niño, the Twisted Atlantic and Global Agriculture Sponsored by: Evelyn Browning- Garriss, Historical Climatologist and Author, The Browning Newsletter Corn, soybean and wheat futures are at four-year lows while cattle prices are at an all-time high. The developing El Niño conditions continue to bring moderate temperatures and good growing conditions for this year’s Midwestern and Great Plains agriculture. Leading historical climatologist, Evelyn Browning Garriss, will share her insights about the changing climate – not just the mantra of “global warming” but the short and long-term natural factors that are likely to shape weather, crops and investments around the globe. In particular, she will address the challenges and opportunities that the climate presents for participants across the oilseed and grains value chains.
9:15-10:00 - Concurrent Track Sessions:
Risk Management: Best Practices for Managing Commodity Procurement Risks Moderator: Curt Goulding, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, INTL FCStone Inc Panelists: Susan Grelling, Vice President, Member Relations and Chief Commodity Risk Officer, Land O'Lakes Tom Neher, Vice President, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Josh Sell, Senior Director Commodities, Industry Affairs, and Supply Chain Analysis, Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc
Managing risk in agricultural commodity markets is crucial to the success of most agribusinesses. This session will address:
Trade Financing: Trends in Trade Finance for the Global Ag Supply Chain Moderator: Paul Smolen, Principal, AgriNetworks Panelists: Tom Gaglione, Vice President, Global Trade Services, JP Morgan Chase Bank Adrian Katz, Chief Executive Officer, Finacity Corporation Diane D. Stewart, Senior Vice President and Manager, Structured Trade Finance Division, U.S. Bank
With increased regulatory oversight on bank reserves and capital ratios, the number and list of banks providing trade financing for agricultural commodities has shifted dramatically over the past three years.
Global Markets: Market Focus: Black Sea Region Moderator: Philippe de Lapérouse , Managing Director, HighQuest Partners Panelists: Matt Ammermann, Commodity Risk Management - CIS / Black Sea Region, INTL FCStone, Inc. Ken Eriksen, Senior Vice President, Transportation, Informa Economics Levin Flake, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Within the last decade, the Black Sea region has developed into a major origin market for oilseeds, wheat and other grains. However, geopolitical unrest in the region has raised challenges, which could hinder the continued development of the region into a major grain exporter and limit the region’s ability to attract the capital required to build the infrastructure needed to facilitate the movement of crops into the export market.
10:00-10:45 - Concurrent Tracks:
Risk Management: Strategies for Leveraging Options to Manage Price Volatility David Lehman, Managing Director, Commodity Research and Product Development, CME Group
Trade Financing: New Financing Techniques for Expanding Trade Opportunities Moderator: Pranav Garg, Managing Director & Co-Head-Consulting, HighQuest Partners Panelists: Gregory Bernardi, President, London Forfaiting Americas Inc. Craig Tashjian, Founding Partner & Managing Director, AMERRA Capital Management, LLC
In parallel with traditional sources of financing for the trading of ag commodities amongst commercial banks, new sources of financing and innovative vehicles are being leveraged to support trade along the supply chain.
Global Markets: Market Focus: Africa Moderator: Alan Boyce, Founder and CEO, Westland Solar Farms, LLC Panelist: Jim Hershey, Executive Director, American Soybean Association, WISHH Program Levin Flake, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Dr. Bharat Kulkarni, Director, Stalwart Management Consultancy Services Pvt. Due to growing populations, increased urbanization and rising GDP in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, food demand in the region is expected to grow at 3% annually per year through 2030, creating tremendous opportunities for both food and ingredient imports as well as domestic food and crop production.
10:45-11:25 - Coffee Break
The appearance of new technologies and the ability to derivee useful analysis out of what were previously unmanageable volumes of raw data is changing the way agricultural commodities are produced, processed and transported at a rate faster than ever before. This panel discussion will explore:
12:10-12:55 - Closing Address: Geopolitical Trends in 2014 and the Impact on Agriculture Peter Zeihan, Geopolitical Strategist Former Stratfor Global Intelligence Executive, Peter Zeihan will highlight the impact that developing geopolitical trends and the impact that they are likely to have on the global agricultural sector in the years to come. He will distill global complexities into actionable items, providing clear concepts of what cannot happen, what must eventually happen and what is likely to happen very soon. This session will provide new perspectives about the agriculture sector and suggest strategies for addressing the challenges presented by economic, political, and cultural pressures in today’s global economy.
Hear Geopolitical Strategist, Peter Zeihan, in 3 podcasts:
1. He explains his divergent short- and Long-term outlook for Argentina! Click here to listen to the podcast.
2. He speaks about the trade implications of the world’s fastest growing economy, Mexico. Click here to listen to the podcast.
3. He addresses the changing structure of global geopolitical relations and its potential implications for U.S. and global markets. Click here to listen to the podcast.
12:55-1:00 - Closing Comments 1:00-2:30 - Lunch with Roundtable Discussions