The keynote speaker will be trade expert Joe Glauber, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining IFPRI, Glauber spent over 30 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including as Chief Economist from 2008 to 2014. Glauber was the Special Doha Agricultural Envoy for the U.S. Trade Representative Office, where he served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Doha talks. Glauber also served as an economic adviser at the Blair House agreements and as an economist for agriculture on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.

The keynote presentation will be followed by a panel featuring Idaho’s international trade office managers from Taiwan, China and Mexico. The panelists will address export opportunities and strategies in their respective markets and regions.

Food and agriculture exports are critical to Idaho’s economy, reaching nearly $2.0 billion annually. One in six rows of Idaho potatoes is exported, and one in three acres of U.S. farmland is planted for export. With a global middle class population expected to top 2.7 billion by 2030, and a mature domestic food market in the U.S., exports will be increasingly important for generating business growth in agriculture.

“We are very fortunate to have Dr. Glauber in Idaho with our trade office managers to talk about the global outlook for Idaho agriculture,” said ISDA Director Celia Gould. “There are tremendous opportunities for our producers, and this seminar will help them navigate some of the challenges in order to be successful in today’s global market.”