[09] 42nd ANNUAL MEETING

The [2009 Minnesota Agri-Growth Council Annual Meeting]was held on [November 3rd]

at the [Minneapolis Convention Center] [MAP IT].

The [2009] Minnesota Agri-Growth Council Annual Meeting on [November 3rd]is the organization’s

premier annual event, bringing together key stakeholders in the food and agriculture industry from Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. More than 400 industry leaders, news media, government relations professionals, commodity group and farmer leaders and public officials and staff gather to learn about current industry trends and topics. The event was a comprehensive one-day program, which includes a membership meeting, speakers conference, exhibitors, and luncheon program featuring high level keynote speakers and the presentation of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council Distinguished Service Award. The program also serves as the venue for the Minnesota Governor’s annual “State of the State on Agriculture” address.

View photos of the event:

This year’s meeting again focused on contemporary issues facing the food and agriculture industry. The theme centers on the issue of sustainability and corporate social responsibility — something that is becoming increasingly relevant to stakeholders in the food and agriculture industry. Speakers addressed the trends in “sustainable” agriculture and food production. Food retail companies, food processors, agribusinesses, and farming operations alike have a stake in the sustainability of food production.

Available Power Point slides from the 2009 Annual Meeting presentations are available here:

Tom Stinson, State Economist
View more presentations from Minnesota Agri-Growth Council.
Dr. Brian Buhr, head of the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota
View more presentations from Minnesota Agri-Growth Council.
Joel Makower, Executive Editor, GreenBiz.com
View more presentations from Minnesota Agri-Growth Council.

Sustainability Panel: Sustainability Trends Facing the Food and Agriculture Industry – Concerns or Opportunities?

Rick Naczi, Executive VP of Strategic Insights & Analysis, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
View more presentations from Minnesota Agri-Growth Council.

 

Here’s a summary of this year’s Annual Meeting program:

Annual Members Meeting – members only
8:30 a.m. Welcome, reports and elections
9:40 a.m. Forecasting Minnesota’s Economy – Trends in Demographics and Workforce: Dr. Tom Stinson, State Economist, Dr. Tom Gillaspy, State Demographer
10:30 a.m. Externalities Affecting Sustainability and Ag/food Production – Dr. Brian Buhr, University of Minnesota
11:30 a.m. Break / Exhibit Time

Luncheon Banquet and Speakers Program
Noon Luncheon and welcome – Chairman Joe Swedberg, Hormel Foods

  • » Distinguished Service Award presentation
  • » Keynote speaker, Gene Kahn, Vice President of Sustainable Development, General Mills

1:40 p.m. Break / Exhibit Time
2:10 p.m. Annual State of the State on Agriculture Address – Gov. Tim Pawlenty (Video-link)
2:20 p.m. Business Trends in an Economy Going Green – Joel Makower, Author, Strategies for the Green Economy – Opportunities and Challenges in the New World of Business, and Executive Editor, GreenBiz.com

3:10 p.m. Sustainability Panel: Sustainability Trends Facing the Food and Agriculture Industry – Concerns or Opportunities?
Moderated by Kerri Miller, host of Midmorning on Minnesota Public Radio

  • » Rick Naczi, Executive VP of Strategic Insights & Analysis, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
  • » Gene Kahn, Vice President of Sustainable Development, General Mills
  • » Jon Johnson, Walton Professorship in Sustainability, University of Arkansas
  • » Tony Heredia, Vice President of Corporate Risk & Responsibility, Target Corporation

4:40 p.m. Remarks, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan
5:10 p.m. Conclude – Joe Swedberg, chairman
5:15 – 7:15 p.m. Reception