Flinchbaugh to Headline Kansas Commodity Classic Feb. 6 in Manhattan

All Kansas farmers are invited to the Kansas Commodity Classic on Friday, February 6, 2015.

The Commodity Classic is the annual convention of the Kansas Corn, Wheat and Grain Sorghum Associations, and will take place at the at the Hilton Garden Inn, 410 S 3rd St, Manhattan, Kan., with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. It is free to attend and includes a complimentary breakfast and lunch; however pre-registration is requested.

The Classic will be emceed by Eric Atkinson, Radio Specialist and Agriculture Director, K-State Radio Network.

The morning session will open at 7:30 a.m., with an optional breakfast and remarks from Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey (invited) to a joint session with the Women Managing the Farm conference. Pre-registration for the breakfast is required.

The Kansas Commodity Classic officially begins at 9:15 with remarks from Chris Standlee, Executive Vice President of Global Affairs for Abengoa Bioenergy. Standlee will discuss the Abengoa 2G Hugoton Project and the future of cellulosic ethanol in America.

Rod Snyder, President, Field to Market, The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, will talk about who is involved with Field to Market and share information from retailers who are involved in the project. Field to Market’s commitment is to continuous improvements in productivity, environmental quality and human well-being across the agricultural supply chain. Field to Market members are committed to helping provide food, fiber and fuel for 9 billion people across the globe by 2050, while conserving finite natural resources.

Darrell Holaday, of Country Futures in Frankfort, Kan., a favorite of Kansas producers, will provide his perspective on commodity markets.

Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh, will be the featured keynote speaker at a joint luncheon with the Women Managing the Farm conference attendees. He will present, “Lessons Learned from the 3-year Debate on the 2014 Farm Bill.” Dr. Flinchbaugh is an acknowledged expert on agricultural policy and an award-winning professor of agricultural economics at KSU. He has been a long-time advisor on ag policy to politicians of both parties. Drawing on his authority and expertise, Dr. Flinchbaugh will bluntly look at lessons learned from the historically long debate on the 2014 farm bill.

The Kansas Commodity Classic is hosted by the Kansas Corn Growers Association, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association. The event is sponsored by the following industry sponsors: Syngenta Crop Protection, Monsanto and Farm Credit Association of Kansas. The event is free to attend, but pre-registration is requested. Visit http://kswheat.com/producers/register-for-kansas-commodity-classic or call 785-539-0255 to register.