Agriculture Policy Conference scheduled on February 20

Four topic areas are on the agenda for an agricultural policy conference to be held on Monday, Feb. 20 at Liberty Hall (County CE and Eisenhower Drive).

The conference is being hosted by Wisconsin Congressmen Read Ribble (R - Sherwood) and Tom Petri (R - Fond du Lac).

Following the 8:30 a.m. welcome, the topic for the first session will be the regulatory climate in agriculture.

The scheduled presenters are Wisconsin Farm Bureau president Bill Bruins, Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods board president Pete Kappelman and Al Reis of the Wisconsin Pork Producers Association.

The second morning session will be a panel discussion on dairy policy.

Participants include Michael Brennenstuhl of Seymour Dairy (a blue cheese manufacturer), Tim O'Harrow of Oconto Falls (a dairy farmer), Kevin Kiehnau (a Door County dairy farmer representing Organic Valley), Manitowoc Milk Producers Cooperative board president Randy Geiger and John Rettler of Neosho, who is a director of Family Dairies USA.

Crop grower association representatives will take the stage for the final morning session.

They are Duane Maatz of the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, Mike Bartling of the Manitowish Cranberry Co., and spokesmen for the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association and the Organic Valley Family of Farms.

The first afternoon session will be moderated by Ribble, who is the only Wisconsin member on the House of Representatives agriculture committee.

That session, focusing on the 2012 Farm Bill, has Sam Miller of M & I Bank, state representative Gary Tauchen of Shawano County, Wayne Staidl of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Darin Von Ruden of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, and John Pagel of Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy as the scheduled speakers.

According to the conference agenda, there will be 5 minutes starting at 4 p.m. for an open listening session on agricultural policy.