ST. LOUIS, Jan. 30, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The General Session of the 2007 Commodity Classic promises to be one of the most dynamic ever with a full lineup of speakers, highlighted by scheduled keynote speaker U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Susan Schwab.
In addition, the General Session will bring together American Soybean Association (ASA) President Rick Ostlie, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Ken McCauley and National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Dale Schuler. The presidents will strategize about how best to communicate agriculture's success stories to the American public in a roundtable hosted by U.S. Farm Report's John Phipps.
"Once again, we're proud to have U.S. Farm Report host John Phipps as the emcee for the General Session," said Ostlie.
In addition, Tom Tevlin of Greenspirit Strategies will discuss ways growers can defend agriculture, and former Operation Iraqi Freedom prisoner of war Ron Young will share his personal story of dedication, courage and inspiration.
In her role as USTR, Schwab is responsible for trade policy development, negotiation and implementation across a range of issues and regions. Schwab has been actively engaged in the development of U.S. strategy in the World Trade Organization Doha Round multilateral trade negotiations and successfully concluded bilateral free trade agreements with Peru and Colombia.
"Trade issues are vitally important to agriculture, and we are interested in hearing Ambassador Schwab's update on the Doha negotiations and the potential effects on our ability to trade and our future farm programs," Schuler said.
McCauley added, "Commodity Classic has put together another lively General Session, and the associations are confident growers will enjoy the program."
Commodity Classic, the combined convention and trade show of ASA, NCGA and NAWG, will be held March 1-3, 2007, in Tampa, Fla. The General Session will take place Friday, March 2, at 9:15 a.m.
For more information and to register, visit www.commodityclassic.com.