Featured Speakers

Orion Samuelson

Communications in Ag
Thursday, January 14 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Orion Samuelson is heard on WGN Radio, where he has served as Agricultural Services Director since 1960. He is also heard daily on about 260 radio stations with his syndicated National Farm Report and weekly on about 160 stations with his syndicated Samuelson Sez. Since 1975, he has produced and hosted U.S. Farm Report, a weekly television program seen on 190 Midwest stations.

Samuelson has been the recipient of countless awards and honors including the American Farm Bureau's Distinguished Service Award in 1998; the National 4-H Alumni Award; and he is the only broadcaster in the nation to receive two Oscars in Agriculture - one each for radio and television.

In 1985, Orion was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame, and the NAFB Hall of Fame. In November 2003, Orion was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago.

Jim Evans

Communications in Ag
Thursday, January 14 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

James F. Evans, Emeritus Professor of Agricultural Communications, is a volunteer associate of the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center and informal supporter of agricultural communications programs, locally and elsewhere.

Professor Evans majored in Agricultural journalism at Iowa State and soon went to work in Green Bay, Wis. as a broadcaster on WBAY-TV. He held a number of positions with communications and agriculture companies and completed an MBA at the University of Chicago. In 1968 he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois where he also served on the faculty in a new degree program in agricultural communications.

Professor Evan's work has included scholarly historical research; numerous studies on how farm families receive and understand extension information; and pesticide labeling. Professor Evans is also founder and intellectual leader of the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has published extensively in the area of agricultural communications and is a recognized expert on agricultural publishing in Illinois, both historical and recent.

Mike Yost

Communications in Ag
Thursday, January 14 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Michael W. Yost is a fourth generation farmer from Murdock, Minnesota, where he farms with his family and two business partners. They grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa and are involved in the dairy production.

Yost served agricultural interests in government and in associations. He was the Administrator of USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) from March 9, 2006 through January 2009, and before that, he served as the Associate Administrator at USDA's Farm Service Agency (FAS), overseeing conservation, disaster assistance, farm commodities and farm loan programs.

Earlier, he was a member of USDA's Biotech Advisory Board, USDA/Department of Energy Biomass Advisory Board, and served two terms on the National Biodiesel Board. From the mid-1990s to 2000, Yost was heavily involved with the American Soybean Association, where he held positions as Chairman, Vice-President, and President.

Yost holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.

Bryce Anderson

Climate Factors that Influence Weather
Friday, January 15 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Bryce Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in agriculture meteorology and farm radio broadcasting. Utilizing his combined expertise in both agriculture meteorology and farm reporting, Anderson provides daily weather commentary and in-depth seasonal weather forecasts for DTN/The Progressive Farmer subscribers. Anderson also hosts the company's daily radio and online video segments. His daily early morning online video “Before the Bell Market Weather Outlook” offers one of the most comprehensive overviews of important weather events from the previous day, as well as upcoming forecasts that can impact crops.

Anderson's insight and commentary are frequently heard on regional ag radio programs and read in newspapers across the country, including the Los Angeles Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and The Wichita Eagle.

Prior to joining DTN/The Progressive Farmer, Anderson was in radio and television farm broadcasting and agricultural meteorology at stations in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. He has degrees from the University of Nebraska and Mississippi State University.

Ken Ferrie

Yield Tips from Corn College
Thursday, January 14 from 12 - 3 p.m.

Farm Journal field agronomist Ken Ferrie oversees the test plots in the Farm Journal Field Test program. Ken applies his extensive, cutting-edge knowledge and his systems approach to farming to the plots. In addition to working with Farm Journal, he operates an independent agronomic consulting business in central Illinois.

A graduate of Illinois State University, Ken credits much of his knowledge of the systems approach to the late Dr. Everett Dennis, who took what Ken had learned in books and "brought it to life." A native of northeast Iowa, Ken has previous experience as a floater operator, crop scout, and maintenance manager over three elevators, coop manager and company agronomist.

Ferrie is one of only a few completely independent agronomists in the United States. He is not an employee of any agribusiness company (including Farm Journal), and he doesn't sell anything, accept any commissions or have any hidden agendas.

Darin Newsom

Marketing Lessons Learned in 2009
Friday, January 15 from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.

DTN/The Progressive Farmer Senior Analyst Darin Newsom provides the company's customers with commodity market insight and oversees all of its market commentary. Newsom has more than 20 years of experience analyzing commodity markets and developing proven risk-management strategies. He focuses on explaining the structure of a market—both technical and fundamental—and the price relationship between contracts to indicate what type of market exists.

As an industry-leading market analyst, Newsom provides insight and in-depth commentary on all commodities, including grains, precious metals and energy-related markets, and the national or international events that move them.

Newsom's articles and expert commentary are consistently featured in The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones MarketWatch, Stocks Futures & Options Magazine and on CNBC-TV, in addition to multiple newspapers and radio stations throughout the country.

James Wiesmeyer

Market Outlook for Major Crops
Thursday, January 14 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Agricultural Policy Outlook
Thursday, January 14 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

From his office in Washington, D.C., Jim contributes daily to Informa Economics' Morning Comments report, providing clients with the latest information on agricultural policy and trade developments. Since 1978, Jim has frequently reported on and interviewed senior government officials, including Presidents Reagan and Carter, as well as several USDA Secretaries; he has traveled extensively in his assignments and is a frequent speaker on farm policy and trade issues. Prior to joining Informa Economics, Jim most recently was the Washington editor and bureau chief for ProFarmer, Inc. where he still contributes a daily analysis and commentary on policy and trade developments in his column Inside Washington Today. Also while at ProFarmer, he was the Washington editor for Oster Communication's ProFarmer newletter and Futures magazine. Jim also was the Washington bureau chief for Futures World News (FWN), formerly owned by Oster. Prior to ProFarmer, he was a Washington editor with Doane's Agricultural Report and Washington editor and managing editor of the Washington Farmletter. He received his bachelor of arts degree in history from Southern Illinois University.

Chip Flory

Lessons Learned from Pro Farmer's Midwest Crop Tour
Wednesday, January 13 from 1:30 - 3 p.m.

Chip's hometown of Oxford Junction is in east-central Iowa. His family farm was a typical diversified farm with corn, soybeans, oats, alfalfa, a commercial cattle herd, a farrow-to-finish hog operation and sheep. Chip joined Pro Farmer in January 1988 as a floor reporter for Futures World News after graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Ag Journalism. He spent three years in Chicago reporting from the floors of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as Bureau Chief for FWN. Chip moved to the Pro Farmer headquarters in April 1991 where he started as Electronic Services Editor. With Pro Farmer, he has been Sr. Market Analyst, Editorial Director and General Manager.Chip took over as Pro Farmer Newsletter Editor in May 1997 and had Publisher added to his title in November 1999.

Kevin Spafford

Plan for Success Workshop
Thursday, January 14 from 7:30 – 11:30 a.m.

In the fall of 2006 Farm Journal welcomed Kevin Spafford as the succession planning columnist. His 'Leave a Legacy' column and blog address the questions and concerns of America's farm families. With the launch of the Farm Journal Legacy Project in May of 2008, Kevin will be instrumental in the Leave a Legacy Website, the eNewsletter and many other projects related to “Cultivating Multigenerational Success in the Agricultural Community.” Kevin has a passion for farming, a degree in Agricultural Management, 25 years of experience in financial services, and he is the author of Legacy by Design: Succession Planning for Agribusiness Owners. His firm of the same name specializes in succession planning for agribusiness owners across the nation.

Barbara C. Lee

Best Practices for Keeping Ag Workers Safe
Friday, January 15 from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Barbara C. Lee is a senior scientist with the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Marshfield, Wis., where she directs the National Farm Medicine Center as well as the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Dr. Lee received her PhD from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. She has authored journal publications and numerous reports related to children and farm safety. She is a past president of the National Institute for Farm Safety - a professional organization for those involved in agricultural safety and health. From 2006-2007, with funding from the Farm Foundation, Dr. Lee worked with agricultural industry leaders to assess the feasibility of developing a national coalition based on the successful Canadian Agriculture Safety Association. In December 2007, the Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America was formally established and Dr. Lee serves as its Administrative Director.