The Illinois NAFBAS members have been busy planning an action-packed and informative conference in our nation’s capitol.  Where better to get a handle on the heartbeat of the nation, and what we might expect in the near future for agriculture?

  The fun and information will begin with registration from 2pm – 5pm on Sunday afternoon.  We will be using the Metrorail for transportation to some of our meetings during the week, so we want everyone to be comfortable with getting around the city using the Metro.  Sunday afternoon there will be “Metro-experienced” Illinois field staff available to help you get to the Metro stop and take your first ride.  But be sure to return to the hotel that evening for your official welcome and reception.

  We’ll spend Monday morning at the hotel for World Ag Issues, and after lunch you’re free to explore on your own.  Tuesday will be USDA Day.  We will be boarding the Metro for the trip to the USDA for our meeting that morning at the USDA building.  Lunch will be on your own at the USDA cafeteria which comes highly recommended for both quality and price.  On Wednesday we will once again board the Metro to head to Capitol Hill.  After our morning sessions with various Capitol Hill lobbyists, administrators and Congressmen, you will have the afternoon free to visit with your representatives (if you have previously arranged a meeting) or visit the various monuments, museums and other sites along the National Mall.  That evening we will gather at the Doubletree’s Windows Over Washington for a family meal and gathering overlooking the Potomac and the sites of Washington by night.  Don’t make your getaway on Thursday too soon, because after the morning business meeting, we will have the keynote speaker of the conference in Mr. Dennis Avery.  He is the director of Global Food Issues at the Hudson Institute and has written the book “Saving the Planet with Pesticides and Plastic:  The Environmental Triumph of High-Yield Farming.”   Mr. Avery is touted as a thought-provoking speaker on global food issues and other agricultural policies.

  Our schedule of actual speakers is flexible with the minute by minute changes that can occur in Washington, but we can assure you that you will be listening to some of the people that have their finger on the pulse of agriculture in the nation’s capitol, including the new Under Secretary of Agriculture Charles Connor and Senate Finance Counsel Elizabeth Paris.

  We hope that you’ll plan to join us as we transplant Illinois to the heart of DC.

                                                                                    Roberta Boarman                                 
                                                                                    NAFBAS President 2005