RFA Ethanol Podcast

Palm Beach to Host International Agricultural Summit

Kelly Marshall

palm beach international agricultural summitThe Florida Chamber Foundation and the Economic Council of Palm Beach County will be hosting an event to showcase one of Florida’s most important industries – agriculture.  The Palm Beach International Agricultural Summit will take place on Wednesday, May 4 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Business and community leaders from across the state will gather to discuss modern agriculture.

Guest speakers will include industry experts and agricultural leaders, including the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam H. Putnam.

“In 2014, Florida’s agricultural exports reached an all-time high of more than $4.2 billion, and our more than $120 billion agriculture industry supports more than two million jobs,” said Commissioner Putnam. “This forum provides a great opportunity to address emerging challenges and solutions to support Florida’s agriculture industry.”

The event is the brainchild of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and headed up by Chairwoman Wendy Link and President and CEO, Daniel Martell.

“Our key objectives are to educate the public about the local, national and global economic impact of agriculture; address the benefits of Florida’s agriculture industry; foster a network of agricultural and non-agricultural businesses to advance the economy; and ultimately help solve the issues of local and global food supply, distribution and nutrition,” said Link.

Industry experts will lead workshops on modern agricultural technology; The Blue Revolution, a discussion on the management of water resources for drinking water and crop irrigation security; finance and investment in agriculture; food distribution; careers and education; global initiatives and challenges. A highlight of the program will be an overview of a new economic impact study conducted by Alan W. Hodges, Ph.D., an extension scientist at University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, in cooperation with Scott Barnhart, Ph.D., associate professor at Florida Atlantic University – College of Business. Onsite exhibits will range from farm-to-fork cooking demonstrations to school displays on agriculture.

Ticket are $45.  You can register and learn more about the event at www.PBIAS.org.  Net proceeds will be donated to feed the hungry campaigns.

Agribusiness, Events