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Around the County

Frequent information updates for agricultural audiences

November 6, 2007

Economics Summit Workshops Scheduled

URBANA - Are the current boom times for U.S. farmers the start of a new era or merely

a prelude to historical pattern ending in a bust? Answering these and other related

questions will be the focus of three programs in December sponsored by University of

Illinois Extension.

The 2007 Illinois Farm Economic Summit, to be held Dec. 11 in Effingham, Dec. 12 in

Bloomington, and Dec. 13 in Sycamore, is the successor to the Farm Income Seminar

series held in past years, said Paul Ellinger, U of I Extension farm finance specialist who

is organizing the program.

"We've revised and re-tooled the program to reflect the immediate situation," he noted.

"Farm profits are at an all-time high this year. Net farm income for the United States is

forecast to be $87.1 billion, up $28.1 billion from 2006 and $29.7 billion above its 10-

year average of $57.4 billion.

"A question on everyone's mind is: Will the good times last?"

At each meeting, speakers from U of I Extension's farmdoc team will explore the farm

profitability outlook from several perspectives.

"These include the direction of prices, new farm policies, new technology and corn and

soybean yields, bio-fuels, production costs, and farm lease trends," said Ellinger. "The

format will be fast-paced and allow plenty of time for questions from the audience."

Joining Ellinger on the program will be Darrel Good, Bob Hauser, Scott Irwin, Dale

Lattz, Nick Paulson, and Gary Schnitkey, all from the U of I Department of Agricultural

and Consumer Economics and part of the farmdoc team. Todd Gleason, an Extension

communications specialist, will moderate the meeting.

Registration for each location is $50 per person and includes all meeting materials,

breaks, and lunch. Registration at the door will be $55 as space permits. Each meeting

begins at 8 a.m. with registration and concludes at 3 p.m.

Online registration is available at farmdoc (http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu) by filling out a

registration form and returning it with a check for $50 payable to the University of

Illinois. Brochures and other information may be obtained by contacting Sue Esposito at

(217) 333-5506. Registration brochures will also be available at the local University of

Illinois Extension unit office.

The Effingham meeting will be held at the Keller Convention Center. The Interstate

Center is the site of the Bloomington meeting and the Sycamore meeting will be in the

Center for Agriculture.

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