OABA Annual Conference Wraps Up In Columbus

More than 300 Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA) members and industry professionals were on hand to engage in collaborative learning and networking at the organization’s fourth annual Industry Conference, Feb. 3-4 at the Columbus Marriott Northwest. This year’s conference focused on the production, perspectives and performance in Ohio’s agriculture industry and beyond.

“This year’s OABA Industry Conference gave us an inside look at the trends and issues impacting Ohio’s agriculture industry today, and highlighted the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead,” said Chris Henney, OABA president and CEO. “It was energizing to be surrounded by our members and other industry professionals who have such great vision and passion for agricultural sustainability.”

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The conference focused on relevant topics in today’s agriculture industry, such as market updates, ways to increase yields and others such as the application of the 4Rs in nutrient management.

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Josh McGrath, associate professor at the University of Kentucky, said that across the board, farmers in Ohio are doing a good job and the industry is being proactive regarding nutrient management, but added it’s important to “keep the ball rolling and not get complacent.”

“What we have today is very good, and farmers should follow the best recommendations available,” McGrath said. “But we don’t know everything yet, and there is a lot of room for improvement. We have to be forward thinking, develop new ideas and integrate multiple technologies together if we want to achieve both our environmental and farm economic objectives.”

Keynote speaker and retired U.S. Army Col. Peter Mansoor shed light on the rise of ISIS and the long term impact of terrorism.

Other notable speakers at the two-day conference included Chris Reynolds, PotashCorp; Kathy Mathers, The Fertilizer Institute; Marty Ruikka, The ProExporter Network; Bill Qualls, ResponsibleAg; and several educators and researchers from The Ohio State University, the University of Kentucky and the University of Wisconsin.

“The presentations were grounded in the economic reality of the upcoming 2016 farming season, with concrete and actionable recommendations provided to best position producers for success,” said Aurea Rivera of Imagineering Results Analysis Corp. in Dayton.

Rivera attended the conference for the first time upon transitioning into the agriculture industry after a career in federal government. She called the experience “rewarding.”

“It is a great forum for networking and collaboration opportunities that affords a free exchange of ideas between the presenters and the audience,” she said.

The fifth annual OABA Industry Conference will be held in 2017.

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