- The National Cotton Council is urging consultants to join cotton producers at the 2008 Beltwide Cotton Conferences at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Jan. 8-11. The conferences’ theme is “Orchestrate Your Opportunities.” The general session will open with a welcome from Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens and feature updates from the NCC and Cotton Incorporated on the farm bill, cotton research and promotion, variety improvement and other important issues. The general session also will include a focus on herbicide resistance management; new harvesting technology, including onboard moduling systems; the new eXtension web site; current/future challenges and opportunities for cotton producers; and lessons learned from the 2007 growing season. Registration and hotel information, as well as the program, can be viewed here.
- Hormel Foods Corp. announced that Fred D. Halvin has been named director of mergers, acquisitions and strategy, effective Jan. 1, 2008. Halvin, who had served as director of investor relations since 2001, will report to Ron W. Fielding, executive vice president of grocery products and mergers and acquisitions. Replacing Halvin as director of investor relations is Kevin C. Jones, current assistant secretary for the board of directors and senior attorney.
- The USDA has opened a new agricultural trade office in China, located in the Sichuan capital of Chengdu, the fifth most populous city. USDA presently operates another three offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. In 2007, China imported approximately $8.2 billion in agricultural goods from the U.S.
