TFI’s Conference department is busy making final plans are underway for our upcoming Fertilizer Marketing & Business meeting, scheduled for Feb. 6-8 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, Calif. Delegates to the conference will  have the opportunity to network with colleagues and learn about business and policy issues affecting the agriculture community and the fertilizer business. Attendance at the conference will be robust with more than 600 delegates registered.  The Hyatt has sold all permanent suites, but is working with us to convert some additional rooms to suites in order to meet any last minute delegate needs.  These rooms will probably go fast, so if you are interested, I encourage you to contact me as soon as possible to secure a suite reservation.

In addition to providing members of the fertilizer industry with a unique meeting opportunity, we will feature two general session speakers who will present on economic and agricultural issues. On Tuesday, Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, will address conference delegates on the challenges facing California agriculture. We decided to feature Wenger at the conference because California is often a bellwether for policy developments in other states and on the national front. Prior to being named president of California’s Farm Bureau in 2009, Wenger served as the association’s statewide officer and second vice president. In addition to his role with the California Farm Bureau, Wenger serves as a member of the National Farm Bureau Federation’s board of directors and farms almonds and walnuts on his farm in Modesto, Calif. Wenger’s remarks will focus on food and agriculture related issues.

On Wednesday, Robert Powell, the senior editor of the Economist Intelligence Unit and Middle East analyst at The Economist, will examine issues related to the economic recovery throughout the United States and abroad. Powell joined the Country Analysis department of the Economist Intelligence Unit in May 2001 and has grown into being a senior member of the country analysis team. He is responsible for reports on the Middle East, but also focuses on wider issues, in particular, macroeconomic policy and the hydrocarbons sector. He frequently provides interviews for the BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, ABC and CNN and receives coverage by major global newspapers.

As you can see, we have a great lineup of speakers as well as a great - and hopefully warm – venue for our meeting. If you have not made plans to join us, we encourage you to do so. If you have, we look forward to seeing you in San Diego!