The new 2018 farm bill is coming together and experts are beginning to see the form it will take. Starting in February and extending into the beginning in March, top economists from the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics are partnering with Nebraska extension services to bring you the latest and greatest on the new 2018 farm bill in a conference series near you.
Topics include the economic conditions of farmers and Title I programs with Mykel Taylor, proposed crop insurance changes with Art Barnaby and conservation programs impact with Brad Lubben. The series will enable producers from Kansas and Nebraska to engage presenters with their own thoughts and concerns on possible changes in the new bill and use the dialogue to further understand issues facing the agricultural community within the new farm bill’s framework.
“We want to give our clearest vision of what the new farm bill is shaping to be and give producers information to help with their operational planning,’ says Taylor.
The farm bill has expanded to include many agricultural and food sectors, along with bioenergy and natural resource management. It encompasses everything from federal funding for agriculture research to nutrition assistance. It is a piece of legislation that absolutely will touch every single person in the United States in some shape or form. It is reauthorized approximately every five years and is viewed as a vital support mechanism by many in the industry.
Lubben has more than 20 years experience as an Extension agricultural economist, serving in Illinois and Kansas before returning in 2005 to Nebraska, where he grew up on a grain and livestock farm near Burr, southeast of Lincoln. He has a bachelor’s and a master’s in agricultural economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Ph.D. from Kansas State University.
Barnaby was raised on a diversified farm in Elk County, Kansas. He received his bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University, a master’s from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University. Barnaby joined the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics faculty in 1979. He currently holds the rank of professor. Barnaby conducts national extension education programs on market risk, government commodity programs, crop insurance and public policy. In 2016, Barnaby was named one of Farm Credit’s Fresh Perspectives Top 100 Honoree.
Taylor is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. Taylor’s research and extension programs are focused in farm management. She attended Montana State University majoring in Agribusiness Management. Her Ph.D. in Economics is from North Carolina State University. She has worked in extension positions at both Kansas State University and Washington State University. Some of her current research areas include measuring basis risk for commodity grains; analyzing trends in Kansas agricultural land values; rental rates; evaluation of commodity programs in the 2014 Farm Bill and leasing arrangements.
If registered five days prior to the event, the attendance fee is $20 and includes lunch. Registration at the door is $30. To register online got to http://commerce.cashnet.com/KSUagecon, or contact your local representative as follows:
Dodge City—Andrea Burns, [email protected] or 620-227-4542; Manhattan—Rich Llewelyn, [email protected] or 785-532-1504; Nebraska Locations—Brad Lubben, [email protected] or 402-472-2235.
The 2018 Farm Bill Conferences are scheduled as follows:
- Dodge City, Kansas—Feb. 28, Knights of Columbus Hall, 800 W. Frontview;
- Manhattan, Kansas—March 1, Pottorf Hall, Cico Park, 1710 Avery Ave.;
- Scottsbluff, Nebraska—March 6, Panhandle Research and Extension Center;
- Hastings, Nebraska—March 7, Adams County Fairgrounds, 946 S Baltimore; and
- Mead, Nebraska—March 8, Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center.
