MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi Agricultural Economics Association invites those interested in learning about structural changes in an emerging food industry to their June 14 annual conference.

The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Bost Extension Building at Mississippi State University. Registration is from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the $25 cost includes lunch. Organizers encourage early registration.

Several speakers will discuss various aspects of the food industry in the country. Jim Newsome, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, will speak on the impact that the Enron collapse has had on options, derivatives, and risk management in agriculture. Newsome is a former executive director of the Mississippi Cattlemen's Association.

Tim Hammonds, president of the Food Marketing Institute in Washington, D.C., will discuss supply chain management from the retailer's perspective, and Joe Parcell, director of the Value Added Center at the University of Missouri, will talk about how producers can become more involved in the value chain.

The conference will conclude with Bill Hawks, undersecretary with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, speaking on a changing regulatory environment in concentrated food industries. Hawks, a former Mississippi state senator, was a longtime farmer in North Mississippi.

Contact Theresa Atwater at (662) 325-7982 for registration information.

Contact: Dr. Darren Hudson, (662) 325-7998