Registration is open for the 35th annual Agribusiness Management Conference that will be held from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center in Fresno (2233 Ventura St.).
The conference will bring together members from the state’s agricultural business, economic, political and research sectors, as well as Fresno State faculty, staff and students.
“For 35 years, this conference has brought together the voices of California agriculture in an informative setting where some of the most pressing issues facing our state are discussed,” said Dr. Bill Erysian, associate director for the Fresno State Institute for Food and Agriculture.
The Sacramento Bee political columnist Dan Walters is among 11 presenters and will speak on “Election Year Politics in California Agriculture” from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. to conclude the conference.
Walters has written more than 7,500 columns on California political, economic and social events that have appeared in more than 50 California newspapers since 1981.
He has authored two books on state politics, “The New California: Facing the 21st Century” and “The Third House: Lobbyists, Money and Power in Sacramento.” He is the founding editor of the California Political Almanac and has written articles on state politics for The Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor.
Earlier in the morning, Dr. Terry Barr, a chief economist for CoBank, will give a domestic and international economic outlook. Emily Johannes, director for sustainability for ResourceMax Services for K-Coe Isom, will present on sustainable business practices and policy.
The roundtable “Water and the Future of the San Joaquin Valley” will feature Dr. David Zoldoske, director of the Fresno State Center for Irrigation Technology; Daniel Merkley, director of water resources for the California Farm Bureau Federation; Dr. Ellen Hanak, water policy director and senior fellow of the Public Policy Institute of California; and Sarge Green, project director for the California Water Institute.
Christopher Valadez, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for the California Fresh Fruit Association, will host the panel “Social Responsibility Market Dynamics: A Future Beyond the Drought” that will include Greg Calistro, executive director of customer solutions for Save Mart; Ruben Rosalez, regional administrator for the United States Department of Labor western region wage and hour division; and George Radanovich, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association.
Early registration for the conference is $100 by Oct. 15 online. Late or walk-in registration is $125, and pre-registered faculty can attend for $25.
For more information, visit Center for Agricultural Business or call 559.278.4405.
