National columnist Victor Davis Hanson will be the featured presenter among 14 leaders and experts speaking at the 34th annual Agribusiness Management Conference from 8 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center in Fresno (2233 Ventura St.).

“This conference is unique in that it discusses important issues that connect the entire agriculture industry, such as economic forecasts, immigration reform and water management,” said Dr. Mechel Paggi, director of the Fresno State Institute for Food and Agriculture. “It will be a very informative program with a mix of success stories from the Central Valley and different views about the future of the world’s most productive agricultural area.”

The conference will bring together the business, economic, political and research sectors, as well as Fresno State faculty, staff and students.

Hanson will speak on the topic “The Future of Farming and the Valley – AD 2030” from noon-1:15 p.m. to conclude the conference.

A national columnist on agriculture, politics and state water management, Hanson has been published by numerous media outlets, including the National Review, Newsweek, New York Times and Tribune Media Services.

The Selma native is a fifth-generation raisin farmer and a Fresno State professor emeritus of classics — a program that he started. He is currently a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and the Claremont Institute’s California Studies program.

Terry Barr, a CoBank senior director of industry research, will give an international economic outlook. Lynnette R. Jacquez, of Washington D.C. law firm CJ Lake, LLC, will provide insight on immigration and related issues.

A California drought roundtable will feature Dr. David Zoldoske, director of the Center for Irrigation Technology at Fresno State; Dr. Richard Howitt, professor emeritus for the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; Mike Wade, director of the California Farm Water Coalition; and Sarge Green, project director for the California Water Institute.

Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO and director Ryan Jacobsen will host the panel “Market Dynamics: A Future Beyond the Drought” with David Krause, president of Wonderful Citrus; Harold McClarty, president and CEO of HMC Farms; and Dr. Eric Erba, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for California Dairies.

Early registration for the conference is $100 by Oct. 23. Late or walk-in registration is $125. Pre-registered faculty can attend for $25.

More conference information is available at www.fresnostate.edu/jcast/cab or 559.278.4405.

Online registration is available.