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Meetings and Training

International Sweetener Colloquium

February 10-13, 2008
Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa
Fort Myers, FL

Produced for the Sweetener Users Association, this event will address the crucial business issues facing producers and users of sweeteners.

AGENDA   ·   HOW TO REGISTER   ·   HOTEL AND TRAVEL



AGENDA

Saturday, February 9
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Registration
 
Sunday, February 10
8:30 am - 10:15 am SUA Board Meeting
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
And
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Registration
11:00 am - 5:00 pm Golf Tournament
(The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club)
Play will take place on the Dunes Championship Golf Course.
Sponsored by Corn Products U.S.; Domino Foods, Inc.; and United Sugars
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm International Guests' Special Briefing (Invitation Only)

Panelists: Randy Green, Senior Government Relations Representative
McLeod, Watkinson and Miller

Jon Huenemann, Principal
Miller & Chevalier Chartered

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Opening Reception
Sponsored by Ajinomoto Food Ingredients LLC
 
Monday, February 11
7:00 am - 12:00 Noon Registration
7:30 am - 8:30 am Session I - Breakfast and Keynote Address

Keynote: John Rice, Executive Vice President, Commercial and Production
Archer Daniels Midland Company

8:45 am - 10:15 am Session II - Managing Sweetener Supplies During Uncertain Times
Ensuring adequate and timely availability of supplies of sweeteners (refined and raw) is a major function of USDA's sugar program especially during this period of the full implementation of NAFTA, competing demands for ethanol, and unusual and unpredictable weather patterns. Understanding what leaders of various sectors and their sometimes diverse interests have to say about the situation will be crucial to managing through these uncertainties.

Moderator: Tip Tipton, President and CEO
The Tipton Group, Inc.
Panelists: Brian O'Malley, President
Domino Foods

Daniel Colacicco, Group Director, Dairy and Sweeteners Analysis Group
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dr. Hector Márquez Solis, Director of Trade & NAFTA Office
Embassy of Mexico

10:15 am - 11:30 am Session III - U.S. and World Sugar Market Outlook
The combination of a new Farm Bill and the integration of the U.S. and Mexican sweetener markets in 2008 will change the dynamics of both sugar and corn sweetener marketing in the year ahead. In the rest of the world, sugar production is up in response to the 2006 price spike, but the interplay of energy and agricultural markets will also be affecting the course of world sugar prices. Come hear what our experts predict for 2008.

Moderator: Perry Cerminara, Chairman
Sweetener Users Association
Panelists: James Liddiard, Vice President
Kingsman Americas

Thomas Earley, Executive Vice President
Promar International

11:30 am - 12:30 pm Session IV - U.S. Sugar Program and the WTO
The House-passed 2007 Farm Bill sugar title includes new shipping rules, the requirement that U.S. domestic producers supply at least 85% of the sugar used for domestic consumption, and the diversion of surplus sugar for ethanol production. Trade experts will examine whether these new sugar provisions are WTO compliant, and will forecast how the WTO Doha Round may impact the new U.S. sugar program.

Moderator: Jon Huenemann, Principal
Miller & Chevalier Chartered
Panelists: Don Phillips, Trade Consultant
American Sugar Alliance

Daniel Griswold, Director, Center for Trade Policy Studies
Cato Institute

Russell B. Wild, First Secretary (Trade and Agriculture)
Embassy of Australia

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Tennis Tournament
Sponsored by Corn Products International and United Sugars
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Session V - Happy Hour with Nick Kominus, Editor, The Dyergram
Sugar, molasses, and rum. Relax, have a drink(s) and listen to tales of the role our government has played in influencing our consumption habits over the years.
Sponsored by Amalgamated Sugar and Louis Dreyfus Commodities
 
Tuesday, February 12
8:30 am - 5:00 pm Registration
9:00 am - 10: 15 am Session VI - The New Farm Bill: Brave New World or More of the Same?
Sugar is the most political of commodities, and government policies always influence markets. Hear our panel of insiders on what the next Farm Bill will mean for sugar supply, demand and market structure. What should buyers and sellers be doing now to prepare? And how will the new intersection of food and energy demand affect U.S. sugar policies and programs?

Moderator: Fred Hensler, Raw Materials Director
Masterfoods USA
Panelists: Barbara Fesco, Economist
Farm Services Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dr. Bob Young, Chief Economist,
American Farm Bureau

Jack Roney, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis
American Sugar Alliance

Randy Green, Senior Government Relations Representative
McLeod, Watkinson and Miller

10:15 am - 10:45 am Break
10:45 am - 12:00 pm Session VII -Energy Outlook
Energy is a critical input for sugar producers, refiners and industrial sugar users - from diesel and nitrogen fertilizers at the farm level, to coal, natural gas and electricity at the manufacturing end. Come listen to a panel of energy experts discuss the 2008 outlook for U.S. energy markets.

Moderator: Pat Henneberry, Vice President
Imperial Sugar Company, Inc.
Panelists: Tim Statts, Vice President
Summit Energy

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm Golf & Tennis Awards Luncheon
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm Session VIII - What's Driving Food Ingredient Purchasing Decisions?
New thinking is prompting different decisions on ingredient procurement -- it's still about price competitiveness and product taste, but other options and considerations are proliferating. Is it "good for you" in the changing minds of consumers; should you "buy local" and does your end product meet new calorie limits being considered to combat obesity? Hear how these powerful ideas and the ability to reformulate products to stay in sync with consumers are changing the buying decisions on a variety of ingredients, including sweeteners.

Moderator: Clay Hough, Senior Group Vice President and General Counsel
IDFA
Panelists: Christine Keene, Executive Director, Health Ingredients
Ajinomoto Food Ingredients LLC

Barbara Katz, President
HealthFocus International

Lisa Katic, Principal
K Consulting

2:15 pm - 3:30 pm Session IX - Conversion of Sugar to Ethanol: Does it Make Any Economic Sense in the U.S. Market?
The mandate to produce 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022 creates a huge potential for developing this market and the new fuel must come from somewhere. This panel will answer your questions about how proposals to convert sugar into ethanol would operate. The broader issue of other feedstock sources for renewable fuel production in the United States will also be discussed.

Moderator: Rick Pasco, Counsel
Sweetener Users Association
Panelists: Amy Chiang, Director of International Affairs
Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
U.S. Department of Energy

Bob Dinneen, President & CEO
Renewable Fuels Association

Alan Kennett, President & General Manager
Gay & Robinson, Inc.

Jon Doggett, Vice President of Public Policy
National Corn Growers Association

3:30 pm - 3:45 pm Break
3:45 pm - 5:00 pm Concurrent Session X-A - Nutritional Standards
In response to growing concerns over obesity, the Administration and Congress have focused on the need to establish nutritional standards. Will sugar be targeted in these efforts? How can food companies that use sugar as a primary ingredient navigate this new world?

Moderator: Helen Medina, Assistant Director, International Affairs
International Dairy Foods Association
Panelists: Michelle Matto, Assistant Director, Nutrition and Labeling
International Dairy Foods Association

Lyn Nabors, President
Calorie Control Council

Tom Nagle, Managing Director
Statler Nagel LLC

3:45 pm - 5:00 pm Concurrent Session X-B - Biotech Beets: Boon or Bane?
Genetically modified corn, soybeans and cotton have been around for years, but now biotech sugarbeets are on the horizon. What advantages do they offer for growers and industry? Will customers accept the new technology? This session will give you a perspective on an important new development in sugar markets.

Moderator: Randy Green, Senior Government Relations Representative
McLeod, Watkinson and Miller
Panelists: Duane Grant, Producer

Bill Smith, Jr., Vice President, Marketing
The Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC

Beverly Simmons, Director, Biotechnology Group
Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Reception
Sponsored by Jenkins Sugar Group Inc.
 
Wednesday, February 13
7:30 am - 8:30 am Session XI - Coffee with...Jim Wiesemeyer
Jim Wiesemeyer is considered the "dean" of Washington agriculture journalists for his insight and keen understanding of agriculture and Washington D.C. Join Jim for a cup of coffee and an overview of the Farm Bill process and other political and economic factors shaping the future of agricultural policy.
Sponsored by Imperial Sugar
8:30 am - 10:00 am Session XII - Mexico 2008: What Happens Next?
Are we facing antidumping and countervailing duty cases, sugar-to-ethanol diversion programs, other import restraints or new managed trade mechanisms? Will buyers and sellers be allowed to let the market take its course? Come and hear our panel of experts in the Mexican and U.S. sweetener markets analyze the integrated sweetener market.

Moderator: Audrae Erickson, President
Corn Refiners Association
Panelists: Thomas Earley, Executive Vice President
Promar International

Dr. Mark Keenum, Under Secretary
Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dr. Hector Marquez Solis, Director of Trade & NAFTA Office
Embassy of Mexico

Umberto Murrieta, Executive Director of Commercialization of Companies
Mexican Ministry of Treasury and Public Credit

10:00 am Adjournment

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HOTEL AND TRAVEL INFORMATION

Hotel Reservations
Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa is a world-class recreational playground with something for everyone. Golf, swimming, kayaking, tennis are just the beginning….. work out at our world-class fitness center, or indulge in soothing treatments at our sensational spa. Whether you are perfecting your tan or enjoying the relaxing views at sunset, the resort offers guests endless options. The special room rate for the Colloquium attendees is $250 single/double. Please call the Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa directly for your hotel reservation at 1-800-767-7777 by January 16, 2008 to secure the group rate.

Please contact Lauren Ledermann at lledermann@idfa.org or (202) 220-3557 for more information.

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