TOPSFIELD, Mass., November 1, 2022 – Adding to a packed agenda at this month’s Unconventional Ag (UA) conference are special activities: a price risk management workshop, industry tours to a PURIS facility and a hands-on, plant-based chicken taste and sensory panel. Attendees also will enjoy networking with colleagues across the ag supply chain and gain valuable insight from across the sector at this Nov. 29-30 event in Minneapolis at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
A pre-conference luncheon workshop – Locking in Price Protection – will be offered November 29, hosted by Erick Rodriguez, SVP, sales, and Seth Steinberg, VP, East sales, both of Stable. The 1.5-hour session will explain Stable's new and revolutionary risk management approach that enables firms to lock in price protection in the commodity market using dynamic protection programs where forward coverage adapts to changing market conditions.
“When you consider established exchanges only cover about 10 percent of the world’s agricultural commodities, market volatility poses a big challenge for agrifood businesses,” said Rodriguez. “Our workshop explores approaches businesses can adopt to manage risk and get ahead of sudden price movements that can negatively impact their business value.”
And, noted Rodriguez, volatility and supply chain disruptions have resulted in price movements in grains and oilseeds markets the likes of which have never been seen before, with limited solutions for protecting the value of the business against price risk. This underscores the need for new and innovative risk management solutions.
Another special activity on the first day of Unconventional Ag is an industry tour to PURIS, a leader in pea protein and plant-based food ingredients. This private visit to the company’s new Innovation Center in downtown Minneapolis also includes an inside look at scaling a sustainable food future, a plant-based tasting, and time with PURIS experts to discuss innovation within both food and agriculture.
Rounding out the unique offerings at the conference, previously titled the Organic & Non-GMO Forum, is a plant-based chicken texture sensory panel presented by researchers from the Department of Food Science and Nutrition from the Sensory Center at the University of Minnesota. This hands-on session provides real chicken samples and plant-based options – from soy or pea protein or another alternative – to participants as researchers guide them through texture vocabulary, and practice rating specific texture attributes, which are useful for describing meat and meat analogs. Thus, participants can compare and converse with their tablemates, rating and deciding: Is this too chewy? Tough? Not juicy enough? Or perhaps a perfect substitution? A Q&A will follow as researchers present the challenges facing adoption of these meat alternatives and discuss the creation of these food options.
Topics covered on the main agenda at Unconventional Ag include: fermentation and cultivated meats, the outlook for the organic market, ag’s impact on climate change, the 2023 Farm Bill and more. Get details at unconventionalag.com or watch this interview with event co-chair, Peter Golbitz.
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Formerly known as the Organic & Non-GMO Forum, the newly refocused Unconventional Ag event is hosted by HighQuest Partners, and is the source to discover and gain intelligence on the growing number of alternative options and practices across the ag supply chain. Please visit unconventionalag.com for more information.