Jeffrey Dorfman, the state fiscal economist for Georgia and a professor at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), will serve as the keynote speaker for four of the five locations during the 2020 Georgia Ag Forecast seminar series set for Jan. 21 through Jan. 31.<\/p>\n
Dorfman will speak in Macon, Lyons, Bainbridge and Tifton, Georgia. Todd Southerland, a senior vice president and food and agribusiness industry manager at SunTrust Bank, will be the keynote speaker and provide a more in-depth poultry outlook in Gainesville, Georgia.<\/p>\n
The meetings allow UGA agricultural economists to speak with Georgia farmers, lenders and agribusiness leaders and provide an assessment of the economic outlook for Georgia\u2019s No. 1 industry, agriculture.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, economic data is mixed with good and bad news for the future of Georgia\u2019s economy. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding regulations and how they will impact farmers, agribusinesses, rural communities and Georgia\u2019s overall economy,\u201d Dorfman said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to cut through the noise and focus on the fundamentals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dorfman is a nationally known economist and author, having written three books, most recently, \u201cEconomics and Management of the Food Industry.\u201d He\u2019s authored more than 90 academic journal articles and a variety of other articles that have been published in trade publications and popular press. He was elected as a fellow by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association in 2013.<\/p>\n
Southerland provides commercial banking solutions to organizations in the food and agribusiness sector.<\/p>\n
Economists from the CAES Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics will forecast the 2020 growing season for Georgia producers with an emphasis on Georgia\u2019s major commodities, such as cotton, peanuts and corn.<\/p>\n
\u201cAg Forecast is an important opportunity that the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences uses to provide the ag industry with an idea of what it can expect for the upcoming growing season,\u201d CAES Dean Sam Pardue said. \u201cThe decisions producers make now will benefit them next year and that\u2019s why these meetings are important every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam Rabinowitz, an agricultural economist in the CAES Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, will also be a guest speaker. While predicting markets and providing an accurate account of the future is not an exact science, Rabinowitz said he and other economists will provide information that will position stakeholders statewide to make the best possible decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in a period of great uncertainty in agriculture, with lasting depressed commodity prices, ongoing trade disputes and a continued recovery from natural disasters,\u201d Rabinowitz said. \u201cAs a result of these challenges, it is of great importance that agricultural producers and agribusinesses plan for the upcoming growing season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2020 Georgia Ag Forecast registration fee is $25 per person and includes a meal. The series will be held on the following dates at the locations below:<\/p>\n