Seminars tackle numerous agricultural policy issues

Current issues and topics of interest to California farmers, ranchers and agricultural business leaders will be the subjects of seminars during the online World Ag Expo.

The seminars will be available Feb. 9-11 and thereafter for registered attendees at www.worldagexpo.com.

Sessions on current issues include:

February 9

• The economy and agriculture are recovering. Is the rebound sustainable? This seminar will focus on how the U.S. and global economies affect rural America, presenting research findings on agriculture and related sectors. Presenter: Daniel Kowalski, CoBank. 11-11:59 a.m.
• California fruit industry: Challenges and policy implications. An agribusiness professor describes emerging challenges and policy implications for the fruit business. Presenter: Serhat Asci, Fresno State University. 12-12:14 p.m.
• U.S.-China trade war: Impact on agriculture. This session updates the current effects of the trade dispute and discusses what to expect in the future. Presenter: Stephen Devadoss, Texas Tech University. 12:15-12:29 p.m.
• "Excuse me, could you please put on your mask?": An investigation into the influence of face covering regulations on restaurant customer attitudes and behaviors. An assistant professor describes research into restaurant customer attitudes toward mask wearing. Presenter: Jamie Levitt, Fresno State University. 1-1:14 p.m.

February 10

• Ag inside the Beltway: New year, new administration, changes, challenges and more. An agricultural radio reporter discusses the new federal administration and anticipated agricultural changes. Presenter: Tony St. James, All Ag, All Day Radio Network. 10-10:25 a.m.
• Water, water, water. A leader of Trump administration water policy discusses current issues. Presenter: Aubrey Bettencourt, former deputy assistant secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior. 11-11:45 a.m.
• Fresno State: Now a member of the United Nations Global Compact. Two university representatives describe its designation from the U.N. and focus on goals related to food security. Presenters: Julie Olson-Buchanan and Susan Pheasant, Fresno State University. 12:45-1:14 p.m.
• Helping feed those who feed us. Students describe how they transformed a corner of their campus into a productive farm plot. Presenters: Fresno State University students Tyler Armbrister, Alejandra Valdez and Desiree Madrigal. 1:15-1:44 p.m.
• Food security/insecurity in Central California. This seminar describes food insecurity in the region and solutions being pursued. Presenters: Kym Dildine and Natalie Caples, Central California Food Bank. 1:45-2:14 p.m.
• Food sovereignty initiatives with tribal and indigenous peoples. An assistant professor of media, communications and journalism describes research into food sovereignty initiatives specific to tribal and indigenous peoples. Presenter: Nancy Van Leuven, Fresno State University. 2:15-2:44 p.m.
• Sustainable engineering for resilient food security. Two specialists describe domestic and international efforts to address food insecurity from an engineering perspective. Presenters: Fariborz Tehrani, Fresno State University; Maryam Zamani-Alaei, Miami University. 2:45-3:14 p.m.

February 11

• Sustainability: Consumer ideals in broiler chicken markets. An animal scientist describes research on animal health and welfare related to broiler chicken production. Presenter: Katy Tarrant, Fresno State University. 1-1:14 p.m.