02/24/2009

'Futures of Farming' Conference to Field Tough Ag Questions

Source:

John Obrycki, Miami University
obryckjf@muohio.edu
(513) 523-8324

OXFORD, Ohio -- Molly Bean Smith, a research associate with Ohio State University's Social Responsibility Initiative, will present data from the 2008 Ohio Survey of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Issues at the "Futures of Farming" conference on Saturday, Feb. 28, at Miami University's Marcum Conference Center.

The goal of the conference is to critically assess the potential futures for agriculture that exist and foster new ideas and collaborations. The meeting is free and open to farmers, policymakers, students, industry representatives, and interested members of the general public.

Smith will discuss the Ohio Survey results during the session, "What do future farmers need to know?" Casey Hoy, professor of entomology at Ohio State and holder of the Kellogg Endowed Chair in Agricultural Ecosystem Management, will moderate two other sessions, "How can we preserve soil for future generations?" and "How does the future of energy supplies and prices affect our agricultural system?"

For more information about the conference or to register, see http://www.ourfarmingfuture.org.

For more about the Ohio Survey of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Issues, see http://ohiosurvey.osu.edu.

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