Association Perspectives

Record Conference Attendance Proves Wheat Still Matters

A record number of people, over 500, attended the Prairie Grains Conference held recently at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.  The annual event is coordinated by the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, along with the Minnesota Barley Growers Association and the Northland Community Technical College Farm Business Management Program. 

The record attendance – on par or even exceeding the average crowd of the annual National Association of Wheat Growers conference – was somewhat illogical, given the more challenging year for wheat production in 2005, and what looks to be a challenging year for producing wheat in 2006. As well, it’s not like there’s a shortage of annual farm meetings/expos/conferenc es to attend in the off-season.

Record attendance at a conference spotlighting a crop (two crops, actually, wheat and barley) that’s in the doghouse with a number of crop producers?  It doesn’t make sense. At first glance, anyway.

Some key ingredients make this a successful recipe, however:

Location – Grand Forks has proven to be a good venue, an easy drive for many growers in northwest Minnesota and eastern N.D., with good parking and warm networking surroundings in the Alerus Center.

Program – The agenda includes a good mix of production and marketing information applying to a number of northern-grown crops that makes attendance worthwhile.

Value – Complimentary program registration, meal and snacks included, for association members (thanks to a strong base of industry sponsors) and a nominal fee for non-members translates into tremendous value for producers.

This year’s Conference began with a Wheat Research Reporting Session, sponsored by the Minnesota Wheat Council, with virtually all seats filled when the session started bright and early at 7 a.m.  Fact is, while wheat is a crop that has declined in acreage (and likely to decline again in 2006) it still holds a place in the crop rotation for many producers, and they are seeking information on ways and means for this crop to be more profitable. Wheat still matters to many growers.