2025 Agricultural Economics Conference Agenda

8:30 - 9:00

Registration

9:00 - 9:15

Welcome
Cody Stone, MSU Extension, Executive Director
Eric Belasco, MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, Department Head

9:15 - 9:35

The Impacts of Low Carbon Fuel Policies on Agricultural Commodity Markets
Andrew Swanson, MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics

9:40 – 10:00

Montana Ag Year in Review and Outlook
Joel Schumacher, MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics

10:05 – 10:30

Irrigated Agriculture in Montana:  Patterns, Challenges, and Opportunities
Nick Hagerty, MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics

10:30 – 10:50

Break

10:50 – 11:10

The Boundaries of Current Risk Management Tools under Trade Volatility
Eric Belasco, MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics

M.L. Wilson Lecture:  Pressures and Prospects in the U.S. Cattle Industry
Cortney Cowley, Assistant Vice President and Oklahoma City Branch Executive for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

12:30 - 1:20

Lunch

1:20 - 1:45

Updates from State Agencies
Jillien Streit, Montana Department of Agriculture
Mike Honeycutt, Montana Department of Livestock

1:50 - 2:10

Conservation Easements: Policy and Practice
Kelsey Larson, MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics

2:15 - 2:35

Assessing the Impact of the 2025 Property Tax Legislative Update
Gregory Gilpin, MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics

Urban Growth and the Preservation of Farmland
Justin Gallagher, MSU Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics