News releases

Jan. 14, 2008

TO: Reporters, news directors
FROM: Bob Mitchell, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Communications, (608) 262-3172, rdmitche@wisc.edu
RE: Ag Outlook Forum on Jan. 17

Authors of the new University of Wisconsin-Madison Status of Wisconsin Agriculture 2008 report will look at the year ahead for the state's farms and agribusinesses at an Ag Outlook Forum on Thursday, Jan. 17, from 12:30-5:30 p.m. in room 1520 Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Drive.

The event will begin with authors of the Status of Wisconsin Agricultural Report, discussing these issues of the state's agricultural outlook for 2008:

ï¿½ Farm finances - Bruce Jones, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics;

ï¿½ Dairy - Robert Cropp, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics;

ï¿½ Livestock - Patrick Luby, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics; and

ï¿½ Vegetables - A.J. Bussan, Department of Horticulture.

Later, other UW-Madison experts will talk about trends related to three emerging issues:

ï¿½ Challenges and opportunities in the shift to a biofuel-based economy - Patrick Walsh, Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering;

ï¿½ The shift of land away from agricultural use - Alan Turnquist, Program on Agricultural Technology Studies;

ï¿½ The increased use of hired labor - immigrant labor in particular - on Wisconsin dairy farms - Jill Harrison, Dept. of Rural Sociology; and

ï¿½ The 2008 Farm Bill - Bruce Jones, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

Printed copies of the Status of Wisconsin Agriculture 2008 will be available at the event. Electronic copies are now available online at http://www.aae.wisc.edu/pubs/status/docs/status2008.pdf
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