Expansive Offerings at Soy & Grain Trade Summit

By CnAgri2012-07-19 19:23:26 Print

With a continually expanding list of registrants, including commodity buyers and sellers, and an all-encompassing agenda covering global trends addressed by experts from leading organizations in the oilseed and feed grains industry, the 7th annual Soy & Grain Trade Summit (www.soyandgraintrade.com) in New Orleans, Sept. 17-19, promises to be the venue for unparalleled networking opportunities, knowledge gathering and on-the-spot trading within the industry.

More than 800 buyers and sellers of oilseed products and feed grains from 38 states across the U.S. and 40 countries in major destination markets will convene, including an increasing number of first-time delegates and participants.

One such new participant is IBM's Program Director of WW Industry Solutions, Paul Chang, who will deliver a presentation on how new technologies are playing an increasingly pivotal role in monitoring the agri-food supply chain and ensuring food safety for global supply chains. New attendees, according to Mark Dineen, president of Soyatech LLC, are coming to the summit to better understand what is driving increased investment in agriculture and rising and volatile commodity prices.

In addition to keynote speaker Antonio Galindez, president and CEO of Dow Agrosciences, other speakers include secretaries of agriculture from five key states in the U.S. Corn Belt, leading scientists from DuPont and Monsanto, and executive panelists from Bunge and Loders Croklaan, not to mention a whirlwind of procurement executive attendees from major food companies such as Unified Foodservice Purchasing Cooperative, Kellogg's and Coca-Cola.

The Soy & Grain Trade Summit, hosted by leading global agricultural consultancy HighQuest Partners and its publishing subsidiary Soyatech, will address strategies for sustainable growth in agricultural production, processing, and transportation on a global basis, and examine supply and demand trends in the commodity, food, biofuels and animal feed sectors, including the impact of aquaculture, new seed biotechnology and water scarcity.

More than 100 booths will fill the exhibition floor, and opportunities to experience the grain processing and transportation infrastructure first-hand will be provided through on-site industry tours, while a live and interactive video feed from a farm in Illinois will provide a view into the soybean harvest.