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April 8, 2010
INFORMA ECONOMICS TO
HOLD LIVESTOCK AND MEAT ANALYSIS WORKSHOP
Commodity market
volatility in recent years underscores the necessity for a solid
understanding of how the markets function and how best to analyze
them. This is the foundation for Informa Economics' Livestock and
Meat Analysis Workshop, to be held May 12 at the Memphis Hilton
Hotel. This course will provide participants with a variety of tools
and skills that can be applied to the cattle and beef, hogs and pork
and poultry markets. (The workshop precedes the company's Livestock,
Meat, Poultry and Dairy Spring Conference and Industry Overview to
be held May 13-14.)
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April 7, 2010
INFORMA ECONOMICS' SPRING
CONFERENCE TO HIGHLIGHT UNCERTAINTY IN INTERNATIONAL MEAT TRADE
Renewed economic growth
around the globe via synchronous expansion in all major industrial,
emerged and emerging economies will provide opportunities for all of
the sectors in the livestock, meat, poultry and dairy value chains
to seize as we move through 2010 and into 2011. This encouraging
business environment and more will be discussed by Informa
Economics' top economists and invited speakers and panelists at
Informa Economics' Livestock, Meat, Poultry and Dairy Spring
Conference and Industry Overview to be held May 13-14 at the Hilton
Hotel, Memphis, Tenn.
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April 7, 2010
SENATOR JOHANNS TO KEYNOTE
INFORMA ECONOMICS’ 2010 POLICY CONFERENCE
Informa Economics
announced today that Senator Mike Johanns (R., Neb.) will provide
the keynote address at its 18th Annual Food and Agriculture Policy
Conference, to be held April 22-23 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott
in Arlington, Va. In addition to Informa, the event is sponsored by
Deere & Co., Monsanto and Syngenta. "We believe we have an
outstanding conference planned for the agricultural community again
this year, and we are delighted to add Senator Johanns and
Ambassador Isi Siddiqui, who is the chief agricultural negotiator at
the US Trade Representative's office, to our line-up of public
officials, industry experts, journalists and others who are joining
us to make this effort possible," said Informa Economics Chairman of
the Board and Chief Executive Officer Bruce Scherr.
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March 31, 2010
INFORMA ECONOMICS' 2010
POLICY CONFERENCE TO HIGHLIGHT
KEY BUSINESS,
ENERGY, ANTI-TRUST, TRADE ISSUES
Informa Economics announced
today that three prominent agribusinesses are joining it as sponsors of its 18th Annual Food and
Agriculture Policy Conference, to be held April 22-23 at the Crystal
Gateway
Marriott. The sponsors
include Deere & Co., Monsanto and Syngenta. "We believe we have an
outstanding conference planned for the
agricultural community again this year, and we certainly are
grateful for the help our sponsors provide in
making this effort possible," said Informa Economics CEO and
Chairman of the Board Bruce Scherr.
Informa's two-day April
conference, entitled " Beyond
the Farm Bill: Agriculture’s New Challenges,"
will focus on the most important factors driving today's policy
debate. In addition to policy concerns and issues, the
conference will focus on economic prospects for the sector:
renewable fuels policies and outlook; and the
administration's new anti-trust efforts. The first day will conclude
with a panel discussion of farm
politics, the Administration's first year and a look ahead.
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March 15, 2010
US INLAND BARGE FLEET SMALLEST IN NEARLY QUARTER CENTURY
The 2009 US inland barge fleet shrank for the first time in four
years and now is the smallest since 1988. There were 628 new barges
added to the overall fleet as of the end of last year while 1,126
barges were retired, according to a just-released report by Informa
Economics, Inc. Among the different barge types, the number of
covered barges declined for the eleventh consecutive year, open
barges fell for the first time since 2004, while the number of tank
barges increased for the third year.
The Barge Fleet Profile, now in its 23rd year, is an
annual report published by Informa Economics. The report identifies
the line haul, commodity carrying fleet of inland barges operating
on the Mississippi River system, its connecting waterways and the
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The report, which is compiled through an
annual survey of operators as well as information from the Army
Corps of Engineers, also summarizes the size and average age of the
fleet by barge operator for each type of barge. Included are covered
barges that move grains and oilseeds, fertilizers, steel and other
products, as well as open barges that haul coal, sand, gravel and
similar product types. Details on tank barges that transport liquid
products, such as crude oils and renewable fuels, also are
incorporated into the report.
A sister publication, the Barge Commodity Profile, is
in its sixth year of publication, also was just released by Informa,
offering exclusive barge pressure indices. These indices provide a
valuable tool in assessing the supply and demand for barges. The
report also presents barometers of barge fleet size and movements by
commodity type, commodity ton miles and average distance hauled on
the Mississippi River system, its connecting waterways and the Gulf
Intracoastal Waterway. According to the most recent Informa pressure
indices, the report details that while the barge fleet has shrunk,
commodity movements have weakened. The respective barge pressure
indices all have relaxed as a result of the smaller fleet and lower
volumes moved.
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March 11, 2010
INFORMA ECONOMICS TO STUDY DYNAMICS OF BRAZILIAN FARMING,
RANCHING
Brazil is considered by most to be the quintessential competitor of
North American agriculture. While a major competitor, current global
food and fiber trends suggest the need for ever viable agricultural
producing nations and the infrastructure to provide adequate food
and fiber to growing and economically advancing new middle income
consumers worldwide. The time for Brazil as a global agriculture
competitor is now and questions abound about just how aggressive
this agriculture powerhouse can be and how it will impact competitor
nations and importers over the next decade.
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March 9, 2010
INFORMA ECONOMICS STUDIES
BRAZILIAN POULTRY SECTOR
The Brazilian meat sector is
classified as one of the most dynamic in the world, with Brazil
being the world's second largest meat producer and number one in
international trade. While Brazil's beef reputation is well known,
poultry exports now lead in terms of meat protein exports from
Brazil. The country's competitive edge lies in the relatively low
production costs of important raw materials (corn and soybean meal)
and a well-developed, integrated farming system. Furthermore, the
population consumes some 70 percent of poultry meats—a critical
factor when considering the development of a domestic industry.
Nurturing this meat demand in Brazil is the fact that the country's
disposable income level has been increasing and, thus, the country
has shown signs of significant meat protein demand growth. This has
shielded domestic producers from some of the impact of the global
recession.
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March 8, 2010
INFORMA ECONOMICS TO STUDY
STRUCTURE, OUTLOOK OF DOMESTIC FARM SUPPLY INDUSTRY
The agricultural inputs
industry is under a continuous process of adjustment, reflecting
longterm and newly emerging structural changes in the farm sector,
rapid technological advancements that redefine the products and
services demanded by the sector, and external policy and regulatory
forces that can eliminate some markets and create others. The
industry is both dynamic and diverse, with firms that span the size
spectrum from small, family-owned retailers and short-line implement
manufacturers to multi-national corporations with a global
presence—all competing for a share of the $300+-billion agricultural
input and services market. To remain competitive in this environment
requires a careful assessment of the customer base, the competitive
profile of the firms that serve the various input subsector and the
drivers of change that will influence the needs of farmers and
ranchers in years to come.
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January 8, 2010
INFORMA ECONOMICS ANNOUNCES PROMOTIONS
Informa Economics, Inc. Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer Bruce Scherr and Informa Economics President and Chief
Operating Officer Tom Scott recently announced several promotions
within the company.
Chris Eggerman was promoted to Informa Economics Senior Commodity
Analyst within Informa's fundamental economic research and analysis
service. Prior to joining the company, he was an agricultural
research assistant within the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at
Texas A&M University. While there, he developed a stochastic model
of Texas crops to forecast farm income for the state and analyzed
the effects of rising fuel prices on Texas crop incomes. Eggerman
also interned with USDA's Farm Service Agency where he reviewed and
corrected reports of subsidy payments made to dairy farmers. He
received his bachelor's degree in agricultural business from
Missouri State University and received his master's degree in
agricultural economics from Texas A&M University.
Mark Jordan also was promoted to Informa Economics Senior Poultry
and Egg Analyst. Jordan is responsible for research of the broiler,
turkey, and egg industries, and his analysis focuses on the short-
and long-term impacts of changing market conditions within each
sector. Prior to joining Informa, he was an agricultural
statistician in the Pennsylvania field office of USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service where his duties included survey
administration and setting commodity estimates. Jordan received a
bachelor's degree in agribusiness from Arkansas State University and
a master's degree in agricultural economics from the University of
Arkansas.
Darwin Lockhart was named a Senior Consultant for the company. From
Informa Economics' Winnipeg office, his primary responsibility is to
provide analytic support in both projects and Canadian commodity
research. This work encompasses a wide variety of sectors across
Canadian agribusiness with areas of expertise including the use of
Geographic Information System technology to provide site selection
and spatial competitive analyses involving the evaluation and
modeling of grain and their handling networks. Prior to joining the
company, Lockhart worked for the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange (WCE)
where he held positions as market research analyst and market
information manager. While at the WCE, Lockhart's primary
responsibility was the coordination of all aspects of market
information accumulation and dissemination. He received his
bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Manitoba.
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