Overview
Co-hosted by the Sweetener Users Association and the International Dairy Foods Association, the International Sweetener Colloquium provides a unique opportunity for key players from all sectors to discuss the most pressing issues facing the global sweetener industry.
Attendees will be given the opportunity to participate in content-rich sessions with presentations from a wide range of speakers, addressing the latest challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Topics will cover everything from government regulation and political outlook to current research findings and market trends.
The Colloquium draws hundreds of professionals and decision-makers from the sweetener industry and from companies that use sweeteners in the products they make. Buyers, processors, refiners, distributors and food companies actively participate in the Colloquium, using it as a springboard to enhance their business and trading-partner networks.
Sponsors:
Cohosted By:
Agenda
*All Times Eastern Print Agenda
February 25, 2024 | Event | Speaker | Location |
---|---|---|---|
12:00pm |
Golf Tournament – Sponsored by: Domino Foods Inc.
Sponsored By:
|
JW Marriott Miami Turnberry – Miller Course | |
6:00pm - 7:30pm |
Welcome Reception – Sponsored by: United Sugar Producers & Refiners
Sponsored By:
|
Magnolia Courtyard. | |
9:00pm |
After-Hours Party – Sponsored by: ADM
Sponsored By:
|
Garden Room | |
|
|||
February 26, 2024 | Event | Speaker | Location |
8:15am - 9:15am |
Session I – Breakfast: Keynote Address – Sponsored by: Cargill Inc.
Sponsored By:
|
Majestic Ballroom 1-4 | |
As the largest agricultural company in the world, Cargill is a leader in food, agricultural, finance, and industrial production and distribution. Be sure to attend this opening session to hear Michael Zerr share his thoughts on the many challenges and opportunities facing the food and agricultural sector – including the sweetener segment – in 2024 and beyond. |
|||
9:30am - 10:30am |
Session II – International Sugar Market Dynamics
|
Majestic Ballroom 5-8 | |
Global sugar supplies were tighter than expected in 2022-23 as El Niño reduced production in India and Southeast Asia, tightening exportable supplies and pushing world raw sugar prices to more than decade highs. How is the global market shaping up for 2023-24 as the El Niño impact subsides, but some effects carry over and a sizeable sugar deficit is expected to remain? Sugar market experts will explain global sugar market dynamics. Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing |
|||
10:30am - 11:00am |
Networking Break – Sponsored by: National Sugar Marketing
Sponsored By:
|
Majestic Ballroom Foyer | |
11:00am - 12:00pm |
Session III – North American Sweetener Market Outlook
|
Majestic Ballroom 5-8 | |
Where is the North American sugar market headed after two years of tight supplies and historically high prices? Will drought-reduced production in Louisiana and a second year of low production in Mexico keep sugar supplies tight again? Sugar demand waffled in 2022-23 but will that dynamic persist? How will a larger corn crop and sharply lower corn prices affect corn sweetener supplies and prices in 2024? How is U.S.-Mexico corn sweetener demand shaping up amid record-high sugar prices in Mexico? Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing |
|||
4:00pm - 5:30pm |
SUA Board Meeting (invitation only)
|
Palmetto 1-2 | |
6:00pm - 7:00pm | Networking Reception – Sponsored by PanaSource Ingredients Inc. | Cascata Pool | |
February 27, 2024 | Event | Speaker | Location |
8:45am - 9:15am |
Continental Breakfast – Sponsored by: Anderson Advanced Ingredients
Sponsored By:
|
Majestic Ballroom Foyer | |
9:15am - 10:15am |
Session IV – Outlook for the Economy and Financial Markets
|
Majestic Ballroom 5-8 | |
After aggressive efforts by the Federal Reserve on interest rates focused on taming inflation, where do we stand today with the U.S. economy going forward? How have commodity markets responded to a whole host of challenges and what should we look for going forward? Attend this session to better understand the U.S. and world macroeconomic landscapes and their impact on commodity markets. Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing |
|||
10:15am - 10:45am |
Networking Break – Sponsored by: Green Plains Inc.
Sponsored By:
|
Majestic Ballroom Foyer | |
10:45am - 11:45am |
Session V – Nutrition Policies & Trends
|
Majestic Ballroom 5-8 | |
Added sugars remain in the bullseye for policy makers. New rules target sugar in school meals and other programs, while upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans will use the newest science to recommend dietary intakes. Meanwhile, some see major demand shifts as the result of new anti-obesity drugs. How will new policies and new drugs affect supply and demand? We’ll ask our panelists. |
|||
12:00pm - 1:15pm | Session VI – Luncheon: Road Map to the 2024 Election | Majestic Ballroom 1-4 | |
Before we know it, the 2024 presidential election will be here. David Wasserman cuts through the spin and offers a data-driven forecast of how upcoming elections might unfold. With Republicans at a critical primary fork in the road, who will win the nomination? Do Democrats have any hope of defending a 51-49 Senate majority or taking back a closely divided House? Wasserman draws on his extensive interviews with both parties' candidates and strategists to shed light on the top issues on voters' minds and even how retail habits — such as proximity to a Whole Foods Market or a Tractor Supply Company — can predict voting behavior. |
|||
1:30pm - 2:30pm |
Session VII – Risk Management in Volatile Markets
|
Majestic Ballroom 5-8 | |
Without a domestic refined sugar futures market, how can buyers and sellers manage risk in what has proven to be volatile markets in recent years? A completely new risk management tool may provide a solution. How can sugar buyers utilize existing futures markets? Risk management experts will discuss the challenge of risk management in the cash sugar market. Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing |
|||
2:30pm - 3:00pm | Networking Break – Sponsored by PanaSource Ingredients Inc. | Majestic Ballroom Foyer | |
3:00pm - 4:00pm |
Session VIII – All You Need to Know About the Farm Bill
|
Majestic Ballroom 5-8 | |
It’s been delayed, it’s expired, it had to be extended – when all is said and done, what will the 2023 farm bill look like? Experts will make forecasts about the key issues in the bill and take a deeper dive on sugar policy. |
|||
February 28, 2024 | Event | Speaker | Location |
7:30am - 8:00am |
Continental Breakfast – Sponsored by: Anderson Advanced Ingredients
Sponsored By:
|
Majestic Ballroom Foyer | |
8:00am - 9:15am |
Session IX – Key Commodity Analysis
|
Majestic Ballroom 5-8 | |
Grain, edible oils, dairy and cocoa markets have seen wide supply and price swings in recent years impacted in part by war and other geopolitical events. Cocoa bean futures in London and butter prices in Chicago set all-time highs in October. Grain prices have declined. Renewable fuels demand for vegetable oils is skyrocketing. Our experts will explain the dynamics in these key commodity markets. Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing |
|||
9:15am - 10:15am |
Session X – U.S. Sugar Program Administration & Policy Challenges
|
Majestic Ballroom 5-8 | |
Current sugar market dynamics have made administration of the federal sugar program more challenging than ever. Are there ways to better balance the interests of the many stakeholders who are dependent on the program to work for them? Be sure to attend this session to hear the latest thinking of those who are closest to what’s happening with sugar policy and how it effects industry players. |
After-Hours Party – Sponsored by: ADM
Session I – Breakfast: Keynote Address – Sponsored by: Cargill Inc.
As the largest agricultural company in the world, Cargill is a leader in food, agricultural, finance, and industrial production and distribution. Be sure to attend this opening session to hear Michael Zerr share his thoughts on the many challenges and opportunities facing the food and agricultural sector – including the sweetener segment – in 2024 and beyond.
Host: Dana Johnson, VP Sweetness Segment Lead, Cargill
Speaker: Michael Zerr, Long Term Model Lead, Cargill
Dana Johnson
Michael Zerr
Michael Zerr is an Economist on Cargill’s Trading Data and Analytics (TDA) team. TDA is a globally integrated trading analytics organization that transforms data into monetizable trading and strategic opportunities. TDA has 175 employees in 22 countries supporting trading in 13 product lines. Michael leads the analytics team for Long Term forecasting. His team focuses on ten-year projections for the food, feed, and biofuel markets to support strategic decision across Cargill.
In 20-plus years in Cargill, Michael has also worked as an agronomist in Northwest Indiana and as an economist for the beef division in Wichita, Kansas, and the Food and Bioindustrial enterprise in Minneapolis. He recently led the Protein analytics team in Wichita supplying risk management and commercial analytics support for pork, turkeys, and beef.
Before joining Cargill, Michael was the economist for the United States Meat Export Federation, a trade association promoting red meat exports in Denver, Colorado. Michael was raised on a livestock and grain farm in Missouri which his family continues to operate.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in General Agriculture and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Michael lives in Edina, Minnesota with his wife Angie and their three children.
Session II – International Sugar Market Dynamics
Global sugar supplies were tighter than expected in 2022-23 as El Niño reduced production in India and Southeast Asia, tightening exportable supplies and pushing world raw sugar prices to more than decade highs. How is the global market shaping up for 2023-24 as the El Niño impact subsides, but some effects carry over and a sizeable sugar deficit is expected to remain? Sugar market experts will explain global sugar market dynamics.
Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing
Panelists: Jeff Dobrydney, Senior Vice President, Head of Futures & Options, JSG Commodities
James Liddiard, Senior Vice President, Agrilion Commodity Advisers
Vincent O’Rourke, Trader and Market Analyst, C. Czarnikow Sugar, Inc.
Ron Sterk
Ron Sterk is senior editor, markets, for Food Business News and Milling & Baking News, and is editor of the Sosland Sweetener Report. Prior to joining Sosland Publishing Company in 2003, he was involved in market coverage and management for several years for the real-time news services. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism with a focus in agronomy from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business from Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
Jeff Dobrydney
Jeff has been with JSG Commodities since 2005, when he started as an Assistant Trader. Born and raised in Milford, CT and a graduate from Jesuit schools Fordham University and Fairfield Prep, Jeff has solidified his role within the Sugar trading community covering both the USMCA and World futures markets which includes penning a daily report. He is now the Sr. Vice President of JSG and heads the Futures & Options desk that executes trades for Sugar, Cocoa, Coffee and Grains for a wide array of clientele. Jeff also served as the President of the Sugar Club of New York and is a featured speaker at the annual Datagro conference in New York. A resident of Trumbull, Connecticut with his wife and two girls, Jeff also serves on Trumbull Little League’s Executive Board of Directors and is in his 7th year coaching travel softball and is President of the organization. In 2022, Jeff was named to the Advisory Board of “Save the Game”, the grass-roots effort designed to align with Major League Baseball to encourage youth participation in baseball. He is also the principal trumpet player at Trinity Church in Trumbull.
James Liddiard
James Liddiard is a Senior Vice President at Agrilion Commodity Advisers LLC.
Liddiard is a commodity risk consultant and adviser specializing in the sugar and ethanol markets.
Vincent O’Rourke
Vincent has been working on the sugar fundamental analysis numerous years, and has played a significant role in the creation of “Czapp”, the Czarnikow market analysis website and app. After graduating his masters from King’s College London he joined Czarnikow in their London office as an analyst in 2016. He has transferred to the CZ Miami team in 2019 and has since been overseeing regional trade flows and market analysis for a large part of the Americas. He is also an active part of the Czarnikow trading team for raw and white sugar, and led the opening of CZ Colombia in May 2023.
Session III – North American Sweetener Market Outlook
Where is the North American sugar market headed after two years of tight supplies and historically high prices? Will drought-reduced production in Louisiana and a second year of low production in Mexico keep sugar supplies tight again? Sugar demand waffled in 2022-23 but will that dynamic persist? How will a larger corn crop and sharply lower corn prices affect corn sweetener supplies and prices in 2024? How is U.S.-Mexico corn sweetener demand shaping up amid record-high sugar prices in Mexico?
Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing
Speakers: Frank Jenkins, President, JSG Commodities
Craig Ruffolo, Vice President – Commodity Specialist, McKeany-Flavell Company, Inc.
Ron Sterk
Ron Sterk is senior editor, markets, for Food Business News and Milling & Baking News, and is editor of the Sosland Sweetener Report. Prior to joining Sosland Publishing Company in 2003, he was involved in market coverage and management for several years for the real-time news services. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism with a focus in agronomy from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business from Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
Frank Jenkins
Frank Jenkins, president of Jenkins Sugar Group, has over 20 years of experience as a broker and consultant focusing mainly on the US/NAFTA sugar markets. Prior to founding Jenkins Sugar Group in 1993, he worked on the sugar desk of ED&F Man in New York from 1983 to 1986, and served as vice president in Merrill Lynch Private Client Group in New York from 1986 to 1993. Frank was honored to serve as president of the Sugar Club of New York and has been a featured speaker at numerous industry and USDA sponsored forums.
Craig Ruffolo
Since joining McKeany-Flavell in 1995, Craig has developed expertise in several categories—including sugar, corn sweeteners, alternative sweeteners, coffee, honey, and edible oils—and he assists domestic and multinational clients through market analysis, ingredient resource management, and buyer education. An acknowledged industry expert, Craig makes frequent national and international speaking engagements to discuss the sweeteners industry, including at ASA, Sosland, and F.O. Licht market conferences. Craig’s study on the potential ramifications to the U.S. sugar market if government supports to growers were changed or eliminated was presented to Congress.
Session IV – Outlook for the Economy and Financial Markets
After aggressive efforts by the Federal Reserve on interest rates focused on taming inflation, where do we stand today with the U.S. economy going forward? How have commodity markets responded to a whole host of challenges and what should we look for going forward? Attend this session to better understand the U.S. and world macroeconomic landscapes and their impact on commodity markets.
Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing
Speaker: Stephen Nicholson, EVP, Global Sector Strategist – Grains and Oilseeds, Rabobank
Ron Sterk
Ron Sterk is senior editor, markets, for Food Business News and Milling & Baking News, and is editor of the Sosland Sweetener Report. Prior to joining Sosland Publishing Company in 2003, he was involved in market coverage and management for several years for the real-time news services. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism with a focus in agronomy from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business from Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
Stephen Nicholson
Stephen has more than thirty years of experience in cash grain markets, hedging, commodity/ingredient procurement, commodity risk management and commodity analysis. Prior to joining Rabobank, Nicholson was most recently category manager and chief economist with International Food Products. From 2001 to 2007, he was a senior economist and oilseed analyst with Doane Agricultural Services in St. Louis.
Stephen also has nearly fifteen years of experience in the food & beverage industry. He served as senior buyer at The Earthgrains Company, now the Sara Lee Baking Group, in St. Louis. From 1988 to 1997, he was the senior commodity analyst in the global procurement and trading company at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta. While at Coca-Cola, he was involved in the creation of the first commodity risk management and governance policy framework for the company.
A native of Iowa, he holds a bachelor’s in farm operations and agricultural education, and a master’s in agricultural economics, both from Iowa State University.
Session V – Nutrition Policies & Trends
Added sugars remain in the bullseye for policy makers. New rules target sugar in school meals and other programs, while upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans will use the newest science to recommend dietary intakes. Meanwhile, some see major demand shifts as the result of new anti-obesity drugs. How will new policies and new drugs affect supply and demand? We’ll ask our panelists.
Moderator: Randy Green, Principal, Watson Green LLC
Panelists: Courtney Gaine, Ph.D., R.D., President and CEO, The Sugar Association
Nick Fereday, Senior Analyst – Consumer Foods, Rabobank
Randy Green
Randy Green, a principal at Watson Green LLC, has seen food and agriculture policy from all sides, having served in both the executive and legislative branches of government and in the private sector. Over his career he has been closely involved in the development of five multi-year farm bills, as well as major legislation and regulations affecting derivatives, food safety, animal health and human nutrition.
Randy came to Washington in the 1980s to work for former Representative Charles Stenholm (D-Tex.) and later served former Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) on the staff of the Senate Agriculture Committee. With the exception of two years as a deputy under secretary of agriculture, Randy served on the agriculture committee staff continuously from 1989 to 1999. The last two years he was chief of staff.
In 1999 Randy entered the private sector to represent agricultural and food industry clients. Earlier in his career, he managed government relations for the American Soybean Association and was director of the Wheat Export Trade Education Center.
In 2013, Randy and Lisa Watson formed Watson Green LLC, a firm centered on food and agriculture policy and public affairs.
Courtney Gaine, Ph.D.
Courtney Gaine, Ph.D., R.D., is the President and CEO for the Sugar Association in Washington, D.C. Prior to this appointment in January 2016, Dr. Gaine served as the Vice President of Scientific Affairs at the association. Dr. Gaine previously served as senior science program manager at the North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI North America), a public, nonprofit scientific foundation that advances the understanding and application of science related to the nutritional quality and safety of the food supply. Prior to ILSI, Dr. Gaine held positions of project director, nutrition and wellness, at the nonprofit organization Convergence and science manager at FoodMinds, a public relations firm. She began her career in academia as an assistant professor at East Carolina University. A native Washingtonian, Dr. Gaine obtained her Ph.D. in nutritional sciences and biochemistry and bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the University of Connecticut, where she was also a co-captain of the UConn women’s basketball team.
Nick Fereday
Within RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness, Nicholas Fereday is covering research on the North American Value Added Processing sector.
Prior to joining Rabobank, he was a Senior Economist and Vice President of Sales, Research & Marketing, at LMC International, an independent economic and business consultancy for the agribusiness sector. Prior to LMC, Nick worked as a Senior Research Economist for The Natural Resources Institute in the U.K. Additionally he has worked as a freelance economic journalist, a Senior Economist with the Government of Papua New Guinea, as well as a lecturer/tutor in Applied Economics.
Nick holds a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from Reading University in the U.K.
Session VI – Luncheon: Road Map to the 2024 Election
Before we know it, the 2024 presidential election will be here. David Wasserman cuts through the spin and offers a data-driven forecast of how upcoming elections might unfold. With Republicans at a critical primary fork in the road, who will win the nomination? Do Democrats have any hope of defending a 51-49 Senate majority or taking back a closely divided House? Wasserman draws on his extensive interviews with both parties' candidates and strategists to shed light on the top issues on voters' minds and even how retail habits — such as proximity to a Whole Foods Market or a Tractor Supply Company — can predict voting behavior.
Speaker: David Wasserman, Senior Election Analyst, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and NBC Contributor
David Wasserman
David Wasserman is the Senior Editor & Election Analyst for the nonpartisan newsletter, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, and a contributor to NBC News. Founded in 1984, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter provides analyses of U.S. presidential, Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. The New York Times called The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter “a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative.”
Wasserman analyzes the current political environment in lively and entertaining presentations that he can tailor to his audiences’ specific interests or locales. His data-driven forecasting looks at both national and local trends (if requested, he can even do a district-by-district outlook), the relationship between consumer brand loyalty and voting, and what the future holds for American elections.
Highly Praised Expertise. Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com has written: “Wasserman’s knowledge of the nooks and crannies of political geography can make him seem like a local,” and the Los Angeles Times called Wasserman “whip smart” and a “scrupulously nonpartisan” analyst whose “numbers nerd-dom was foretold at a young age.” Chuck Todd, host of NBC's Meet the Press, recently called David "pretty much the only person you need to follow on Election Night."
In 2016, Wasserman drew wide praise for his accurate pre-election analysis, including his uncanny September piece entitled, “How Trump Could Win the White House While Losing the Popular Vote.” Leading Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson concluded, “Nobody of my generation knows American politics as well as Dave Wasserman.”
Political Intelligence. Wasserman has served as an analyst for the NBC News Election Night Decision Desk since 2008 and has also appeared on Fox News, CNN, and NPR. His commentary has been cited in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, POLITICO, and the Washington Post. In 2018, his groundbreaking interactive collaboration with FiveThirtyEight, the "Atlas of Redistricting," took top prize for News Data App of the Year.
An enthusiast for data and maps, Wasserman serves as a contributing writer to the Almanac of American Politics. A frequent speaker and guest lecturer, he has shared insights into the latest political trends with audiences at Harvard's Institute of Politics, the Dole Institute of Politics, and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics – where he was named a resident Pritzker Fellow in 2019.
Prior to joining the The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter in 2007, Wasserman served for three years as House editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a widely respected political analysis newsletter and website founded by renowned University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato. A native of New Jersey, Wasserman is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was awarded the 2006 Emmerich-Wright Outstanding Thesis prize.
Session VII – Risk Management in Volatile Markets
Without a domestic refined sugar futures market, how can buyers and sellers manage risk in what has proven to be volatile markets in recent years? A completely new risk management tool may provide a solution. How can sugar buyers utilize existing futures markets? Risk management experts will discuss the challenge of risk management in the cash sugar market.
Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing
Panelists: Robert Bresnahan, President, Trilateral, Inc.
Renée Laird, Chief Revenue Officer, Stable Group Ltd
Ron Sterk
Ron Sterk is senior editor, markets, for Food Business News and Milling & Baking News, and is editor of the Sosland Sweetener Report. Prior to joining Sosland Publishing Company in 2003, he was involved in market coverage and management for several years for the real-time news services. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism with a focus in agronomy from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business from Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
Robert Bresnahan
Bob Bresnahan founded Trilateral, Inc. in 1986. He is now widely recognized for his market analysis acumen and recommendations—combining technical and fundamental analysis.
Bob spent the first 11 years of his career in the trading pits of the Chicago Board of Trade, the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, the New York Commodity Exchange, the New York Mercantile Exchange, and the New York Futures Exchange to diversify his trading opportunities and skills. He left the trading pits in 1986 to focus on building Trilateral’s services in managing purchasing and risk management transactions—including supplier negotiations, pricing, hedging, and administrative management—for companies whose operating margins are highly sensitive to commodity, ingredient and energy input costs.
Bob refers to himself as “purely a technical trader.” And while his technical analysis expertise is an indisputable competitive advantage, Bob is also an ardent fundamental analyst; particularly in the context of monitoring the dynamics of how the market is “determining value.”
A primary benefit of Bob’s approach is it allows buyers and traders to make pricing and purchasing decision with a confident level of probability of what the market is going to do as opposed to reacting to what the market has done.
Bob is a regular contributor to the Milling & Baking Market Fax along with being the sole market contributor for the American Baking Association (ABA) in Washington D.C. Bob is also sought out on a regular basis by the American Soybean Association, the U.S. Wheat Council, and U.S. Coarse Grains Council to conduct foreign purchasing seminars for their customers. Bob is also a frequent participant for the many risk management training programs conducted by the Chicago Board of Trade Division of the CME Group.
Renée Laird
Renée has a diverse background spanning producer / consumer markets, investment banking, brokerage, asset management, and ag tech. As Chief Revenue Officer at Stable, Renée drives innovative solutions for commodity clients. In prior roles at R.J. O’Brien, she led global strategy for Commercial Agriculture, OTC Markets, and Hrvyst. Her entrepreneurial journey includes physical and OTC trading in ag commodities for Koch Agriculture and Rabobank, founding Tallgrass International Ltd., a consulting firm, and serving as CEO at Aventis Asset Management. At Fimat/Newedge, Renée thrived as the Global Head of Agricultural and OTC Commodities. Her career reflects a commitment to driving innovation and value across diverse financial sectors, marking her as a dynamic leader in the industry.
Session VIII – All You Need to Know About the Farm Bill
It’s been delayed, it’s expired, it had to be extended – when all is said and done, what will the 2023 farm bill look like? Experts will make forecasts about the key issues in the bill and take a deeper dive on sugar policy.
Moderator: Randy Green, Principal, Watson Green LLC
Panelists: Jerry Hagstrom, Founder and Executive Editor, The Hagstrom Report
Rob Johansson, Ph.D., Director of Economic and Policy Analysis, American Sugar Alliance
Bill O’Conner, Agriculture Policy Expert, Watkinson Miller PLLC
Randy Green
Randy Green, a principal at Watson Green LLC, has seen food and agriculture policy from all sides, having served in both the executive and legislative branches of government and in the private sector. Over his career he has been closely involved in the development of five multi-year farm bills, as well as major legislation and regulations affecting derivatives, food safety, animal health and human nutrition.
Randy came to Washington in the 1980s to work for former Representative Charles Stenholm (D-Tex.) and later served former Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) on the staff of the Senate Agriculture Committee. With the exception of two years as a deputy under secretary of agriculture, Randy served on the agriculture committee staff continuously from 1989 to 1999. The last two years he was chief of staff.
In 1999 Randy entered the private sector to represent agricultural and food industry clients. Earlier in his career, he managed government relations for the American Soybean Association and was director of the Wheat Export Trade Education Center.
In 2013, Randy and Lisa Watson formed Watson Green LLC, a firm centered on food and agriculture policy and public affairs.
Jerry Hagstrom
Jerry Hagstrom is founder and executive editor of The Hagstrom Report. He is a prize-winning agricultural journalist, book author and commentator. The American Journalism Review has named Jerry Hagstrom one of its “unsung heroes” of American journalism for “sterling work in the shadows” covering agriculture. In 2000, the National Farmers Union named Jerry Agricultural Communicator of the Year, and he has won awards from many other farm groups. He also won first prize in commentary from the North American Agricultural Journalists and has served as its president. In addition to his own daily Hagstrom Report, he writes a bimonthly column of commentary for National Journal Daily, both of which reach a national policymaking audience. He reaches farmers, ranchers and agribusiness throughout the country with his work for DTN/Progressive Farmer news service in Omaha, the weekly Agweek newspaper in Grand Forks, N.D., and the Capital Press of Salem, Ore., which has editions in California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington state.
Bill O'Conner
Bill O'Conner joined the firm in 2010, bringing with him more than three decades of experience in the legislative and executive branches of government. During that time, he was one of the key policy staffers in the development and passage of five farm bills, three laws to restructure and reform the Farm Credit System, and the entire legislative development of the federal crop insurance program.
He also played a key role in the legislative evolution of futures and derivatives regulation from the 1980's through House passage of the most recent financial services reform in 2009. He continues to follow closely the implementation of the Dodd - Frank Act and the huge number of regulations that are being promulgated to implement that Act. He was at the center of legislation regulating pesticides, including the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. He has played a major legislative role in all of the diverse legislation in the jurisdiction of the House Agriculture Committee from forestry to food stamps and tobacco to trade.
Former Jobs/Positions Held
Mr. O'Conner began his service in Washington in 1979, working in the House Republican leadership. In 1983, he was brought to the House Agriculture Committee by Congressman Ed Madigan of Illinois, where he worked as deputy staff director. In 1991 Congressman Madigan became Agriculture Secretary Madigan and Bill became his chief of staff. In addition to overseeing general functioning of USDA, Bill worked intensively on the negotiation of the Uruguay Round of trade talks.
In 1993, Bill returned to the House Agriculture Committee as policy director, coordinating and implementing policy for the Committee. He served in that capacity for Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and Chairman Bob Smith of Oregon. In 1999 Chairman Larry Combest of Texas named Bill Staff Director for the Committee, a position that continued under Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia. At the time Bill retired from Capitol Hill to join the firm, he was serving as minority policy director for Ranking Member Frank Lucas of Oklahoma.
Rob Johansson, Ph.D.
Dr. Johansson is the Director of Economics and Policy Analysis for the American Sugar Alliance, the national coalition of sugarbeet and sugarcane growers, processors, and refiners.
Previously, Rob served as the Chief Economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was responsible for advising the Secretary of Agriculture on programs, regulations, and legislative proposals. Rob also served as the Chairman of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors and was responsible for setting up the Farm Production and Conservation (or FPAC) mission area.
Dr. Johansson has held positions at the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office, and at the White House. He also served in Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo with the U.S. Peace Corps between 1990 and 1995.
Session IX – Key Commodity Analysis
Grain, edible oils, dairy and cocoa markets have seen wide supply and price swings in recent years impacted in part by war and other geopolitical events. Cocoa bean futures in London and butter prices in Chicago set all-time highs in October. Grain prices have declined. Renewable fuels demand for vegetable oils is skyrocketing. Our experts will explain the dynamics in these key commodity markets.
Moderator: Ron Sterk, Senior Editor, Markets, Sosland Publishing
Speakers: Lucas Fuess, Senior Dairy Analyst, Rabobank
Stephen Nicholson, EVP, Global Sector Strategist – Grains and Oilseeds, Rabobank
Hugo van der Goes, Vice President, Cocoa, North America, Barry Callebaut
Ron Sterk
Ron Sterk is senior editor, markets, for Food Business News and Milling & Baking News, and is editor of the Sosland Sweetener Report. Prior to joining Sosland Publishing Company in 2003, he was involved in market coverage and management for several years for the real-time news services. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism with a focus in agronomy from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business from Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
Lucas Fuess
Lucas Fuess has spent a lifetime in dairy, growing up on his family’s 200-cow farm in Upstate New York. Lucas graduated with distinction in research from Cornell University, where he studied Animal Science and International Agriculture. Lucas started his career as a Dairy Analyst at Glanbia Nutritionals and was soon promoted to the Dairy Economist role after completing Master’s Degrees at Purdue and Indiana Universities. In 2018, Lucas joined HighGround Dairy as Director of Market Intelligence, leading HighGround Dairy’s best-in-class global dairy market analysis group. Lucas resides in Chicago, Illinois, USA and was recently named to AgGrad’s “30 Under 30” list.
Stephen Nicholson
Stephen has more than thirty years of experience in cash grain markets, hedging, commodity/ingredient procurement, commodity risk management and commodity analysis. Prior to joining Rabobank, Nicholson was most recently category manager and chief economist with International Food Products. From 2001 to 2007, he was a senior economist and oilseed analyst with Doane Agricultural Services in St. Louis.
Stephen also has nearly fifteen years of experience in the food & beverage industry. He served as senior buyer at The Earthgrains Company, now the Sara Lee Baking Group, in St. Louis. From 1988 to 1997, he was the senior commodity analyst in the global procurement and trading company at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta. While at Coca-Cola, he was involved in the creation of the first commodity risk management and governance policy framework for the company.
A native of Iowa, he holds a bachelor’s in farm operations and agricultural education, and a master’s in agricultural economics, both from Iowa State University.
Hugo van der Goes
Mr. van der Goes is the Vice President Cocoa, North America for Barry Callebaut. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s North American cocoa business, including leadership of the commercial team, risk management and financial performance of the business. He is a member of Barry Callebaut global cocoa and the Americas leadership teams.
Before joining Barry Callebaut, van der Goes worked for 16 years at Cargill in different senior management positions within the cocoa & chocolate division. His roles included responsibility for Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate commercial and cocoa sustainability functions.
He served as Chairman & board member of The Cocoa Merchants’ Association of America. Van der Goes attended Erasmus University, Rotterdam (The Netherlands), where he received a Master of Science in Economics and International Marketing Management. He lives in Glenview, IL with his wife Marieke and 3 kids.
Session X – U.S. Sugar Program Administration & Policy Challenges
Current sugar market dynamics have made administration of the federal sugar program more challenging than ever. Are there ways to better balance the interests of the many stakeholders who are dependent on the program to work for them? Be sure to attend this session to hear the latest thinking of those who are closest to what’s happening with sugar policy and how it effects industry players.
Moderator: Rick Pasco, President, Sweetener Users Association
Panelists: Barb Fecso, Branch Chief, Commodity Analysis, Farm Service Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mike Gorrell, Senior Vice President, U.S. Sugar Corporation
Randy Green, Principal, Watson Green LLC
Randy Green
Randy Green, a principal at Watson Green LLC, has seen food and agriculture policy from all sides, having served in both the executive and legislative branches of government and in the private sector. Over his career he has been closely involved in the development of five multi-year farm bills, as well as major legislation and regulations affecting derivatives, food safety, animal health and human nutrition.
Randy came to Washington in the 1980s to work for former Representative Charles Stenholm (D-Tex.) and later served former Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) on the staff of the Senate Agriculture Committee. With the exception of two years as a deputy under secretary of agriculture, Randy served on the agriculture committee staff continuously from 1989 to 1999. The last two years he was chief of staff.
In 1999 Randy entered the private sector to represent agricultural and food industry clients. Earlier in his career, he managed government relations for the American Soybean Association and was director of the Wheat Export Trade Education Center.
In 2013, Randy and Lisa Watson formed Watson Green LLC, a firm centered on food and agriculture policy and public affairs.
Barb Fecso
Barbara Fecso is the Branch Chief of the Commodity Analysis Branch, Economic and Policy Analysis Division, Farm Production and Conservation Business Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture. She is responsible for overseeing the administration of the domestic sugar, dairy, livestock, cotton, peanuts, grains and oilseeds programs. Barbara provides guidance to the Secretary of Agriculture in the formulation and implementation of national policies and procedures, as well as economic and budgetary impact analysis of those programs.
Barbara has almost twenty-five years of government service in USDA with an emphasis on program analysis, operations and budgetary analysis. She initially spent five years with the Natural Resource Conservation Service as a program analyst for conservation technical assistance, watershed and animal waste management programs. She then spent two years as a wheat and pulse crop analyst at the Farm Service Agency before shifting to sugar. She was named Director of FSA’s Dairy and Sweeteners Analysis branch in 2014 and played a critical role in the negotiation of the current sugar trade agreement with Mexico. In October 2018, she was named Branch Chief under USDA’s reorganization.
Barbara received a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University at West Lafayette, Indiana in 1994. She was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and lived for almost twenty years in central Illinois. She has three children and now resides in Arlington, Virginia with her husband.
Mike Gorrell
Rick Pasco
Rick Pasco is a partner at Watkinson Miller PLLC where he is legal counsel and lobbyist for a number of agribusiness clients in the food, agricultural, trade and environmental arenas. He has more than 30 years of experience working in agriculture and food-related legislative and regulatory matters. Mr. Pasco specializes in advising and representing trade associations and companies on government policies and programs. In this capacity, he serves as President of the Sweetener Users Association and Vice President of the Sugar Club.
He has a wealth of experience working with Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He has played a key role in implementing lobbying strategies and advancing agricultural program and trade reforms, as well as developing environmental guidelines, food labeling rules, and food safety/nutrition legislation. During the course of his private and public-sector career, he has been closely involved in six omnibus farm bills.
An important part of Mr. Pasco's work for trade associations is his counsel and advice to ensure that their political action committees (PACs) are in full compliance with federal elections laws and regulations administered by the Federal Election Commission. He is the firm's expert on these issues. Mr. Pasco is uniquely qualified to bring his broad experience to bear in helping solve the problems of clients in the private sector.
Mr. Pasco is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia, Colorado and Nebraska. He received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, and earned a M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics and a J.D. degree from the University of Nebraska.
Speakers
Robert Bresnahan
President, Trilateral, Inc.
Robert Bresnahan
Bob Bresnahan founded Trilateral, Inc. in 1986. He is now widely recognized for his market analysis acumen and recommendations—combining technical and fundamental analysis.
Bob spent the first 11 years of his career in the trading pits of the Chicago Board of Trade, the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, the New York Commodity Exchange, the New York Mercantile Exchange, and the New York Futures Exchange to diversify his trading opportunities and skills. He left the trading pits in 1986 to focus on building Trilateral’s services in managing purchasing and risk management transactions—including supplier negotiations, pricing, hedging, and administrative management—for companies whose operating margins are highly sensitive to commodity, ingredient and energy input costs.
Bob refers to himself as “purely a technical trader.” And while his technical analysis expertise is an indisputable competitive advantage, Bob is also an ardent fundamental analyst; particularly in the context of monitoring the dynamics of how the market is “determining value.”
A primary benefit of Bob’s approach is it allows buyers and traders to make pricing and purchasing decision with a confident level of probability of what the market is going to do as opposed to reacting to what the market has done.
Bob is a regular contributor to the Milling & Baking Market Fax along with being the sole market contributor for the American Baking Association (ABA) in Washington D.C. Bob is also sought out on a regular basis by the American Soybean Association, the U.S. Wheat Council, and U.S. Coarse Grains Council to conduct foreign purchasing seminars for their customers. Bob is also a frequent participant for the many risk management training programs conducted by the Chicago Board of Trade Division of the CME Group.
Jeff Dobrydney
Senior Vice President, Head of Futures & Options JSG Commodities
Jeff Dobrydney
Jeff has been with JSG Commodities since 2005, when he started as an Assistant Trader. Born and raised in Milford, CT and a graduate from Jesuit schools Fordham University and Fairfield Prep, Jeff has solidified his role within the Sugar trading community covering both the USMCA and World futures markets which includes penning a daily report. He is now the Sr. Vice President of JSG and heads the Futures & Options desk that executes trades for Sugar, Cocoa, Coffee and Grains for a wide array of clientele. Jeff also served as the President of the Sugar Club of New York and is a featured speaker at the annual Datagro conference in New York. A resident of Trumbull, Connecticut with his wife and two girls, Jeff also serves on Trumbull Little League’s Executive Board of Directors and is in his 7th year coaching travel softball and is President of the organization. In 2022, Jeff was named to the Advisory Board of “Save the Game”, the grass-roots effort designed to align with Major League Baseball to encourage youth participation in baseball. He is also the principal trumpet player at Trinity Church in Trumbull.
Barb Fecso
Branch Chief, Commodity Analysis, Farm Service Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Barb Fecso
Barbara Fecso is the Branch Chief of the Commodity Analysis Branch, Economic and Policy Analysis Division, Farm Production and Conservation Business Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture. She is responsible for overseeing the administration of the domestic sugar, dairy, livestock, cotton, peanuts, grains and oilseeds programs. Barbara provides guidance to the Secretary of Agriculture in the formulation and implementation of national policies and procedures, as well as economic and budgetary impact analysis of those programs.
Barbara has almost twenty-five years of government service in USDA with an emphasis on program analysis, operations and budgetary analysis. She initially spent five years with the Natural Resource Conservation Service as a program analyst for conservation technical assistance, watershed and animal waste management programs. She then spent two years as a wheat and pulse crop analyst at the Farm Service Agency before shifting to sugar. She was named Director of FSA’s Dairy and Sweeteners Analysis branch in 2014 and played a critical role in the negotiation of the current sugar trade agreement with Mexico. In October 2018, she was named Branch Chief under USDA’s reorganization.
Barbara received a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University at West Lafayette, Indiana in 1994. She was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and lived for almost twenty years in central Illinois. She has three children and now resides in Arlington, Virginia with her husband.
Nick Fereday
Senior Analyst – Consumer Foods, Rabobank
Nick Fereday
Within RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness, Nicholas Fereday is covering research on the North American Value Added Processing sector.
Prior to joining Rabobank, he was a Senior Economist and Vice President of Sales, Research & Marketing, at LMC International, an independent economic and business consultancy for the agribusiness sector. Prior to LMC, Nick worked as a Senior Research Economist for The Natural Resources Institute in the U.K. Additionally he has worked as a freelance economic journalist, a Senior Economist with the Government of Papua New Guinea, as well as a lecturer/tutor in Applied Economics.
Nick holds a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from Reading University in the U.K.
Lucas Fuess
Senior Dairy Analyst, Rabobank
Lucas Fuess
Lucas Fuess has spent a lifetime in dairy, growing up on his family’s 200-cow farm in Upstate New York. Lucas graduated with distinction in research from Cornell University, where he studied Animal Science and International Agriculture. Lucas started his career as a Dairy Analyst at Glanbia Nutritionals and was soon promoted to the Dairy Economist role after completing Master’s Degrees at Purdue and Indiana Universities. In 2018, Lucas joined HighGround Dairy as Director of Market Intelligence, leading HighGround Dairy’s best-in-class global dairy market analysis group. Lucas resides in Chicago, Illinois, USA and was recently named to AgGrad’s “30 Under 30” list.
Courtney Gaine, Ph.D.
CEO, the Sugar Association
Courtney Gaine, Ph.D.
Courtney Gaine, Ph.D., R.D., is the President and CEO for the Sugar Association in Washington, D.C. Prior to this appointment in January 2016, Dr. Gaine served as the Vice President of Scientific Affairs at the association. Dr. Gaine previously served as senior science program manager at the North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI North America), a public, nonprofit scientific foundation that advances the understanding and application of science related to the nutritional quality and safety of the food supply. Prior to ILSI, Dr. Gaine held positions of project director, nutrition and wellness, at the nonprofit organization Convergence and science manager at FoodMinds, a public relations firm. She began her career in academia as an assistant professor at East Carolina University. A native Washingtonian, Dr. Gaine obtained her Ph.D. in nutritional sciences and biochemistry and bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the University of Connecticut, where she was also a co-captain of the UConn women’s basketball team.
Mike Gorrell
Senior Vice President, U.S. Sugar Corporation
Mike Gorrell
Randy Green
Principal | Watson Green LLC
Randy Green
Randy Green, a principal at Watson Green LLC, has seen food and agriculture policy from all sides, having served in both the executive and legislative branches of government and in the private sector. Over his career he has been closely involved in the development of five multi-year farm bills, as well as major legislation and regulations affecting derivatives, food safety, animal health and human nutrition.
Randy came to Washington in the 1980s to work for former Representative Charles Stenholm (D-Tex.) and later served former Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) on the staff of the Senate Agriculture Committee. With the exception of two years as a deputy under secretary of agriculture, Randy served on the agriculture committee staff continuously from 1989 to 1999. The last two years he was chief of staff.
In 1999 Randy entered the private sector to represent agricultural and food industry clients. Earlier in his career, he managed government relations for the American Soybean Association and was director of the Wheat Export Trade Education Center.
In 2013, Randy and Lisa Watson formed Watson Green LLC, a firm centered on food and agriculture policy and public affairs.
Jerry Hagstrom
Founder and Executive Editor, The Hagstrom Report
Jerry Hagstrom
Jerry Hagstrom is founder and executive editor of The Hagstrom Report. He is a prize-winning agricultural journalist, book author and commentator. The American Journalism Review has named Jerry Hagstrom one of its “unsung heroes” of American journalism for “sterling work in the shadows” covering agriculture. In 2000, the National Farmers Union named Jerry Agricultural Communicator of the Year, and he has won awards from many other farm groups. He also won first prize in commentary from the North American Agricultural Journalists and has served as its president. In addition to his own daily Hagstrom Report, he writes a bimonthly column of commentary for National Journal Daily, both of which reach a national policymaking audience. He reaches farmers, ranchers and agribusiness throughout the country with his work for DTN/Progressive Farmer news service in Omaha, the weekly Agweek newspaper in Grand Forks, N.D., and the Capital Press of Salem, Ore., which has editions in California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington state.
Frank Jenkins
President, JSG Commodities
Frank Jenkins
Frank Jenkins, president of Jenkins Sugar Group, has over 20 years of experience as a broker and consultant focusing mainly on the US/NAFTA sugar markets. Prior to founding Jenkins Sugar Group in 1993, he worked on the sugar desk of ED&F Man in New York from 1983 to 1986, and served as vice president in Merrill Lynch Private Client Group in New York from 1986 to 1993. Frank was honored to serve as president of the Sugar Club of New York and has been a featured speaker at numerous industry and USDA sponsored forums.
Rob Johansson, Ph.D.
Director of Economic and Policy Analysis, American Sugar Alliance
Rob Johansson, Ph.D.
Dr. Johansson is the Director of Economics and Policy Analysis for the American Sugar Alliance, the national coalition of sugarbeet and sugarcane growers, processors, and refiners.
Previously, Rob served as the Chief Economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was responsible for advising the Secretary of Agriculture on programs, regulations, and legislative proposals. Rob also served as the Chairman of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Board of Directors and was responsible for setting up the Farm Production and Conservation (or FPAC) mission area.
Dr. Johansson has held positions at the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office, and at the White House. He also served in Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo with the U.S. Peace Corps between 1990 and 1995.
Dana Johnson
VP Sweetness Segment Lead, Cargill
Dana Johnson
Renée Laird
Chief Revenue Officer, Stable Group Ltd
Renée Laird
Renée has a diverse background spanning producer / consumer markets, investment banking, brokerage, asset management, and ag tech. As Chief Revenue Officer at Stable, Renée drives innovative solutions for commodity clients. In prior roles at R.J. O’Brien, she led global strategy for Commercial Agriculture, OTC Markets, and Hrvyst. Her entrepreneurial journey includes physical and OTC trading in ag commodities for Koch Agriculture and Rabobank, founding Tallgrass International Ltd., a consulting firm, and serving as CEO at Aventis Asset Management. At Fimat/Newedge, Renée thrived as the Global Head of Agricultural and OTC Commodities. Her career reflects a commitment to driving innovation and value across diverse financial sectors, marking her as a dynamic leader in the industry.
James Liddiard
Senior Vice President, Agrilion Commodity Advisers
James Liddiard
James Liddiard is a Senior Vice President at Agrilion Commodity Advisers LLC.
Liddiard is a commodity risk consultant and adviser specializing in the sugar and ethanol markets.
Stephen Nicholson
EVP, Global Sector Strategist – Grains and Oilseeds, Rabobank
Stephen Nicholson
Stephen has more than thirty years of experience in cash grain markets, hedging, commodity/ingredient procurement, commodity risk management and commodity analysis. Prior to joining Rabobank, Nicholson was most recently category manager and chief economist with International Food Products. From 2001 to 2007, he was a senior economist and oilseed analyst with Doane Agricultural Services in St. Louis.
Stephen also has nearly fifteen years of experience in the food & beverage industry. He served as senior buyer at The Earthgrains Company, now the Sara Lee Baking Group, in St. Louis. From 1988 to 1997, he was the senior commodity analyst in the global procurement and trading company at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta. While at Coca-Cola, he was involved in the creation of the first commodity risk management and governance policy framework for the company.
A native of Iowa, he holds a bachelor’s in farm operations and agricultural education, and a master’s in agricultural economics, both from Iowa State University.
Bill O'Conner
Agriculture Policy Expert | Watkinson Miller PLLC
Bill O'Conner
Bill O'Conner joined the firm in 2010, bringing with him more than three decades of experience in the legislative and executive branches of government. During that time, he was one of the key policy staffers in the development and passage of five farm bills, three laws to restructure and reform the Farm Credit System, and the entire legislative development of the federal crop insurance program.
He also played a key role in the legislative evolution of futures and derivatives regulation from the 1980's through House passage of the most recent financial services reform in 2009. He continues to follow closely the implementation of the Dodd - Frank Act and the huge number of regulations that are being promulgated to implement that Act. He was at the center of legislation regulating pesticides, including the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. He has played a major legislative role in all of the diverse legislation in the jurisdiction of the House Agriculture Committee from forestry to food stamps and tobacco to trade.
Former Jobs/Positions Held
Mr. O'Conner began his service in Washington in 1979, working in the House Republican leadership. In 1983, he was brought to the House Agriculture Committee by Congressman Ed Madigan of Illinois, where he worked as deputy staff director. In 1991 Congressman Madigan became Agriculture Secretary Madigan and Bill became his chief of staff. In addition to overseeing general functioning of USDA, Bill worked intensively on the negotiation of the Uruguay Round of trade talks.
In 1993, Bill returned to the House Agriculture Committee as policy director, coordinating and implementing policy for the Committee. He served in that capacity for Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and Chairman Bob Smith of Oregon. In 1999 Chairman Larry Combest of Texas named Bill Staff Director for the Committee, a position that continued under Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia. At the time Bill retired from Capitol Hill to join the firm, he was serving as minority policy director for Ranking Member Frank Lucas of Oklahoma.
Vincent O’Rourke
Trader and Market Analyst, C. Czarnikow Sugar, Inc.
Vincent O’Rourke
Vincent has been working on the sugar fundamental analysis numerous years, and has played a significant role in the creation of “Czapp”, the Czarnikow market analysis website and app. After graduating his masters from King’s College London he joined Czarnikow in their London office as an analyst in 2016. He has transferred to the CZ Miami team in 2019 and has since been overseeing regional trade flows and market analysis for a large part of the Americas. He is also an active part of the Czarnikow trading team for raw and white sugar, and led the opening of CZ Colombia in May 2023.
Rick Pasco
President | Sweetener Users Association
Rick Pasco
Rick Pasco is a partner at Watkinson Miller PLLC where he is legal counsel and lobbyist for a number of agribusiness clients in the food, agricultural, trade and environmental arenas. He has more than 30 years of experience working in agriculture and food-related legislative and regulatory matters. Mr. Pasco specializes in advising and representing trade associations and companies on government policies and programs. In this capacity, he serves as President of the Sweetener Users Association and Vice President of the Sugar Club.
He has a wealth of experience working with Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He has played a key role in implementing lobbying strategies and advancing agricultural program and trade reforms, as well as developing environmental guidelines, food labeling rules, and food safety/nutrition legislation. During the course of his private and public-sector career, he has been closely involved in six omnibus farm bills.
An important part of Mr. Pasco's work for trade associations is his counsel and advice to ensure that their political action committees (PACs) are in full compliance with federal elections laws and regulations administered by the Federal Election Commission. He is the firm's expert on these issues. Mr. Pasco is uniquely qualified to bring his broad experience to bear in helping solve the problems of clients in the private sector.
Mr. Pasco is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia, Colorado and Nebraska. He received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, and earned a M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics and a J.D. degree from the University of Nebraska.
Craig Ruffolo
Vice President – Commodity Specialist | McKeany-Flavell Company
Craig Ruffolo
Since joining McKeany-Flavell in 1995, Craig has developed expertise in several categories—including sugar, corn sweeteners, alternative sweeteners, coffee, honey, and edible oils—and he assists domestic and multinational clients through market analysis, ingredient resource management, and buyer education. An acknowledged industry expert, Craig makes frequent national and international speaking engagements to discuss the sweeteners industry, including at ASA, Sosland, and F.O. Licht market conferences. Craig’s study on the potential ramifications to the U.S. sugar market if government supports to growers were changed or eliminated was presented to Congress.
Ron Sterk
Senior Editor, Markets | Sosland Publishing
Ron Sterk
Ron Sterk is senior editor, markets, for Food Business News and Milling & Baking News, and is editor of the Sosland Sweetener Report. Prior to joining Sosland Publishing Company in 2003, he was involved in market coverage and management for several years for the real-time news services. He has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism with a focus in agronomy from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in business from Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
David Wasserman
Senior Editor and Election Analyst, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter & NBC Contributor
David Wasserman
David Wasserman is the Senior Editor & Election Analyst for the nonpartisan newsletter, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, and a contributor to NBC News. Founded in 1984, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter provides analyses of U.S. presidential, Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. The New York Times called The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter “a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative.”
Wasserman analyzes the current political environment in lively and entertaining presentations that he can tailor to his audiences’ specific interests or locales. His data-driven forecasting looks at both national and local trends (if requested, he can even do a district-by-district outlook), the relationship between consumer brand loyalty and voting, and what the future holds for American elections.
Highly Praised Expertise. Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com has written: “Wasserman’s knowledge of the nooks and crannies of political geography can make him seem like a local,” and the Los Angeles Times called Wasserman “whip smart” and a “scrupulously nonpartisan” analyst whose “numbers nerd-dom was foretold at a young age.” Chuck Todd, host of NBC's Meet the Press, recently called David "pretty much the only person you need to follow on Election Night."
In 2016, Wasserman drew wide praise for his accurate pre-election analysis, including his uncanny September piece entitled, “How Trump Could Win the White House While Losing the Popular Vote.” Leading Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson concluded, “Nobody of my generation knows American politics as well as Dave Wasserman.”
Political Intelligence. Wasserman has served as an analyst for the NBC News Election Night Decision Desk since 2008 and has also appeared on Fox News, CNN, and NPR. His commentary has been cited in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, POLITICO, and the Washington Post. In 2018, his groundbreaking interactive collaboration with FiveThirtyEight, the "Atlas of Redistricting," took top prize for News Data App of the Year.
An enthusiast for data and maps, Wasserman serves as a contributing writer to the Almanac of American Politics. A frequent speaker and guest lecturer, he has shared insights into the latest political trends with audiences at Harvard's Institute of Politics, the Dole Institute of Politics, and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics – where he was named a resident Pritzker Fellow in 2019.
Prior to joining the The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter in 2007, Wasserman served for three years as House editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a widely respected political analysis newsletter and website founded by renowned University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato. A native of New Jersey, Wasserman is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was awarded the 2006 Emmerich-Wright Outstanding Thesis prize.
Michael Zerr
Long Term Model Lead, Cargill
Michael Zerr
Michael Zerr is an Economist on Cargill’s Trading Data and Analytics (TDA) team. TDA is a globally integrated trading analytics organization that transforms data into monetizable trading and strategic opportunities. TDA has 175 employees in 22 countries supporting trading in 13 product lines. Michael leads the analytics team for Long Term forecasting. His team focuses on ten-year projections for the food, feed, and biofuel markets to support strategic decision across Cargill.
In 20-plus years in Cargill, Michael has also worked as an agronomist in Northwest Indiana and as an economist for the beef division in Wichita, Kansas, and the Food and Bioindustrial enterprise in Minneapolis. He recently led the Protein analytics team in Wichita supplying risk management and commercial analytics support for pork, turkeys, and beef.
Before joining Cargill, Michael was the economist for the United States Meat Export Federation, a trade association promoting red meat exports in Denver, Colorado. Michael was raised on a livestock and grain farm in Missouri which his family continues to operate.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in General Agriculture and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Michael lives in Edina, Minnesota with his wife Angie and their three children.
Hugo van der Goes
Vice President Cocoa, North America | Barry Callebaut
Hugo van der Goes
Mr. van der Goes is the Vice President Cocoa, North America for Barry Callebaut. In this role, he is responsible for the company’s North American cocoa business, including leadership of the commercial team, risk management and financial performance of the business. He is a member of Barry Callebaut global cocoa and the Americas leadership teams.
Before joining Barry Callebaut, van der Goes worked for 16 years at Cargill in different senior management positions within the cocoa & chocolate division. His roles included responsibility for Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate commercial and cocoa sustainability functions.
He served as Chairman & board member of The Cocoa Merchants’ Association of America. Van der Goes attended Erasmus University, Rotterdam (The Netherlands), where he received a Master of Science in Economics and International Marketing Management. He lives in Glenview, IL with his wife Marieke and 3 kids.
The deadline to secure a room in the International Sweetener Colloquium room block was February 2.
You can check current availability and prices directly with the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and the Residence Inn Miami Aventura Mall.
Residence Inn Miami Aventura Mall
Address: 19900 W Country Club Drive, Aventura, FL 33180
The Residence Inn Miami Aventura Mall is located directly across the street from the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort. You may make your hotel reservations online or directly with the hotel by calling (786) 528-1001. When calling, refer to the International Sweetener Colloquium to receive the special room rate of $289 per night plus applicable taxes. The deadline to secure a room is February 2, 2024.
JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort
Address: 19999 W Country Club Dr, Aventura, FL 33180
The International Sweetener Colloquium will be held at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort in Aventura, Florida. You may make your hotel reservations online or directly with the hotel by calling (855) 999-0493. When calling, refer to the International Sweetener Colloquium to receive the special room rate of $299 per night plus applicable taxes. The deadline to secure a room is February 2, 2024. We have reserved a large block of rooms, but once all the rooms have been booked, we cannot guarantee that additional space will be available.
Hotel Reservation Policy: You must register for the International Sweetener Colloquium to be eligible for the conference discounted room rate. Only one reservation is permitted per registrant. If a hotel guest is not registered for the International Sweetener Colloquium, we reserve the right to cancel the guest room reservation without notice.
Golf
Sunday, February 25 | 12:00 PM Shotgun Start
JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort | Miller Course
Registration Fee: $375 per person
Registration includes: Registration includes: greens fees, boxed lunch, cart fees, practice balls, beverages, and service fees. Appropriate golf attire and shoes are required (metal spikes are not allowed).
We will do our best to accommodate any foursome requests. If you would like to request a person(s) in your foursome, please list their name and company during registration.
Registration
Q: Registration Substitutions
Registration is non-transferable from one company to another; however, substitutions within companies are welcome at any time. Please email registrar@idfa.org if you would like to make a registration substitution.
Q: Registration Cancellation Policy
Registration cancellations received in writing will be accepted prior to January 26, 2024 for a full refund, minus a $75 processing fee. Cancellations received after January 26, 2024, will be eligible for a 50 percent refund, less the processing fee. Your registration fee is non-refundable after February 19, 2024. Substitutions may be made without penalty. All cancellations and substitutions must be received in writing at registrar@idfa.org.
Q: Golf Tournament Cancellation Policy
All golf tournament cancellations will receive a full refund prior to January 26, 2024. Your golf tournament registration fee is non-refundable after January 26, 2024. Substitutions may be made without penalty. All cancellations and substitutions must be received in writing at registrar@idfa.org.
Q: News Media
Credentialed members of the news media are welcome to register at a special rate by contacting mherrick@idfa.org. News media must present credentials to qualify.
Questions: If you have questions or need assistance with the registration process, please contact IDFA at (202) 737-4332 or registrar@idfa.org.
Sponsors
For more than forty years, the International Sweetener Colloquium has been a popular place for industry professionals to meet, network and conduct business. The flexible meeting format and location encourage formal and informal discussions and fosters relationships, while a host of informative presentations highlight important trends and issues affecting the sweetener industry.
For those interested in sponsorship, the Colloquium is the place to be seen and heard. Sponsorship is one of the best ways to brand your organization as a thought-leader and to highlight your commitment to advancing the sweetener industry. The Colloquium offers various levels of sponsorship opportunities. Please contact mlembke@idfa.org for more information.