U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Johanns to keynote

LINCOLN, NEB. (August 22, 2007)—With ethanol and the use of corn- and soy-based bio-fuels being today’s hot topics, the Midwest International Trade Association (MITA) will kick off its new year of workshops and meetings with “Renewable Fuels: Emerging Technologies and Their Global Implications,” September 13, at Omaha’s Regency Lodge, 909 S. 107th Ave.  Anyone with an interest in this topic is invited to attend, including students, MITA and non MITA members.

Registration will take place from 1:30-2 p.m.

Jim Grewe, vice president international sales for Reinke Manufacturing Company and MITA president, will welcome and introduce the MITA Board of Directors and candidates for the new 2007-2008 Board of Directors and Advisory Council. MITA members will then get the opportunity to vote. 

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns will keynote the event, discussing the level of money and support available for bio-renewables, including fuels, such as ethanol, and other types of bio-based product and technology development in the new Farm Bill; the vision for international trade in the ethanol world and whether this new emphasis on bio fuels will result in less emphasis on incentives, negotiations, and resources in the exports of grain, meat, and other international trade; and the intersection of farm, energy and trade policies and its implication for the rural Midwest.

Other speakers include:    

• Randy Klein, director of marketing development for the Nebraska Corn Board, who will talk about Nebraska’s corn production; the percentages used for feed and food versus ethanol; whether enough corn exists in the state and U.S. to meet the demand of all three industries; and how the increased use and demand is changing the face of the nation’s agriculture industry both domestically and internationally.
• Reece Nanfito, senior director of marketing for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), who will define the council’s mission and its role in promoting ethanol domestically and internationally.
• John D. Lawrence, extension livestock economist and professor, Iowa State University (ISU) Department of Economics, director of ISU’s Iowa Beef Center, and assistant director of the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station, who will discuss current research studies about energy efficiency, rural revitalization and job creation; and provide a final overview and wrap up of “The Evolving World of Renewable Fuels”.

Grewe will then announce the results of the vote and introduce the new 2007-2008 MITA Board of Directors.    

Registration deadline is Sept. 10. For information, including workshop costs, directions to the Regency Lodge, and benefits of membership in MITA, call 402-596-1210, or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Susan Rouch at 800-426-6505, 402-471-4668, or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it