01/31/08 Spokane's Ag Expo expands scope

Farm and Ranch January 31, 2008 The 2008 Spokane Ag Expo and Pacific Northwest Farm Forum will be held next week February 5th through the 7th at the Spokane Convention Center Complex. Event spokesman Jack Reber says this production is expanding to include small acreage and part-time farmers as well as large full-time farmers and ranchers. Reber: "We have some new exhibitors that will be specifically for small acreage farming. Some of the small equipment dealers and services plus the Pacific Northwest Farm Forum has a number of seminars scheduled with topics specifically related to small acreage farming." Professor Emeritus Art Douglas of Creighton University is back at the Pacific Northwest Farm Forum to provide his long range weather outlook for the Pacific Northwest 2008 growing season. That is at nine a.m. Tuesday at the DoubleTree Hotel and will be followed by Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus at Virginia Polytechnic Institute speaking on "Mega Trends, A Macroeconomic Agricultural Outlook for 2008. Thursday morning there is a panel on food security threats. Reber says the cost for Ag Expo and the Pacific Northwest Farm Forum is; Reber: "The cost again is $10 but it is good for all three days. And we have actually expanded the hours." And there is free parking at the Spokane Arena with a free shuttle bus to the Spokane Convention Center Complex. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.