AUBURN UNIVERSITY — Farm income has been falling, finding agricultural labor is challenging and agricultural markets are in constant flux. Producers need reliable information as they look toward 2024.

To fill this need, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System's farm and agribusiness management team — in collaboration with faculty in Auburn University's Colleges of Agriculture and Forestry, Wildlife and Environment — is hosting the Alabama Agricultural Outlook Conference.

The conference is Dec. 13 in Montgomery at the Alabama Farmers Federation home office. Registration is free, but in order to receive lunch, participants are encouraged to preregister. Adam Rabinowitz, an Alabama Extension agricultural economist, said this conference is a great way for producers to gain insight into the agriculture and forestry sectors.

"It's a time for producers to reflect on the current year as they plan for next year," Rabinowitz said. "Our speakers will be addressing very timely issues, including agricultural labor, farm financials and marketing risk management. It's a great opportunity to understand how national issues and trends affect Alabama agriculture and our state's producers."

Agenda and Topics

The conference begins at 10:30 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m. Rabinowitz said state and regional economic experts will discuss a variety of agricultural activities, while examining the current agricultural economic situation and the outlook for the year ahead. The event will include opportunities for networking, questions and answers. Topics discussed will include the following:

• Agricultural labor opportunities
• Agricultural risk management for crops and cattle
• Farm financials
• Timber market and trending topics
• Commercial poultry markets
• Catfish industry update

To register for the conference, visit the Alabama Extension website calendar at www.aces.edu/event/alabama-agricultural-outlook-conference/. Also, a complete list of topics and speakers is available on the Alabama Agricultural Outlook Conference web page at www.aces.edu.

More Information

Learn more about the 2023 Alabama Agricultural Outlook Conference at www.aces.edu, or contact Rabinowitz directly at adam.rabinowitz@auburn.edu.