Wisconsin farmers can save $50 on Corn/Soy Expo registration when paying for the winter event by January 15 and additional discounts are available for members of the Wisconsin Soybean Association and the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association.
Corn/Soy Expo, the state’s hallmark event for row-crop farmers, is set for Feb. 1 through Feb. 2 at the Kalahari Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells. The program features general sessions with Pro Farmers’ Chip Flory examining the grain markets’ rebalancing of supply and demand and Agricultural Economist Barry Flinchbaugh offering his take on how national policy is influencing markets.
Leaders of the U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Soybean Export Council and the National Pork Producers Council will provide their outlook for export potential in the year ahead while our state association leaders look at issues closer to home. Early Riser sessions both days concentrate on marketing, and educational breakout sessions Thursday afternoon cover timely crop production information. Corn/Soy Expo culminates Friday afternoon with a 2-hour corn and soybean agronomic session led by UW-Madison Extension Soybean Specialist Shawn Conley and Minnesota Extension Crops Educator Jodi Dejong-Hughes.
Annual meetings of state soybean and corn groups start Thursday Feb. 1, at noon. While the association annual meetings are free and open to the public without advance registration, admission to all other meetings and the trade show require a registration fee. A special training session on the using the new, restricted use dicamba formulation is being offered Thursday afternoon and continuing education credits are available for many of the educational sessions through Corn/Soy Expo.
A trade show with over 120 exhibitors offers time for networking with other farmers and industry representatives. The trade show opens earlier this year, starting at 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 1 and ends the day with a reception from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., that evening. The trade show reopens Friday, Feb. 2, 7:00 a.m., for a continental breakfast and runs Friday until 12:30 p.m., when the sit-down luncheon starts.
Friday’s luncheon speaker at Corn/Soy Expo is Scott Hamilton Kennedy, producer and filmmaker of the documentary “Food Evolution” and attendees can watch the film in advance during Thursday’s breakout sessions.
The annual Wisconsin Corn/Soy Expo is a great opportunity to mix farm business with family time. Members of the Wisconsin Soybean Association and the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association save substantially on registration to the 2-day event, which includes free admission to the annual Pork Producers Taste of Elegance, morning coffee & rolls, two lunches, afternoon breaks, an evening reception, industry trade show and admission to all programs.
Registration for Corn/Soy Expo is available online at www.CornSoyExpo.org. Registration material also can be requested by calling the Wisconsin Soybean Program office at 608-274-7522 or the Wisconsin Corn Program office at 262-372-3289.
Reduced hotel room rates are available at the Kalahari resort from Wednesday, Jan. 31, through Saturday, Feb. 3, for registered Corn/Soy Expo attendees and all rooms include free waterpark passes. Please note that hotel policy requires advance payment for first night stay, a cancellation fee may be charged and availability of Friday and Saturday night rooms are very limited. Weekend rooms also must include a Thursday night stay.
