Wisconsin Agricultural Economic Outlook Forum takes place Jan. 23

Agricultural economists and commodity specialists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and UW-Extension will talk about the financial health of Wisconsin agriculture and the outlook for the year to come at the sixth annual Wisconsin Agricultural Economic Outlook Forum in Madison on Jan. 23.

The event, which is organized by UW–Madison’s Renk Agribusiness Institute, coincides with the release of the Status of Wisconsin Agriculture 2013, a situation and outlook report prepared by the university’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

The forum will begin with an overview of how Wisconsin’s farmers fared in 2012, with particular attention to the impact that last summer’s drought and extreme heat had on key Wisconsin commodities, including milk, corn and soybeans, livestock, and fruits and vegetables. The discussion will then turn to the supply and demand situation for each of those commodities, as well as for the products and services that farmers purchase.

The forum will take place on Jan. 23 from 1-4:30 p.m. at the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. in Madison. It is free and open to the public. The event is a partnership between the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UW-Extension Cooperative Extension, Land O’Lakes, Inc., the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Farmers Union and the UW–Madison Office of University Relations.

The forum will be webcast live and archived for future viewing. The website also has details about the event, including information on parking, topics and availability of Status of Wisconsin Agriculture reports.

Online participants will be able to ask questions of the speakers in Madison by emailing their questions to agoutlook@cals.wisc.edu.

The forum will be preceded by an RSVP-only luncheon featuring a panel addressing Wisconsin’s role in “The Agricultural Challenge of Feeding Nine Billion.” Those interested can pre-register and pay online.