Rural Issues Conference

The Seward County Community College/Area Technical School Agricultural Department is hosting a rural issues conference on Sustaining our Rural Communities, Feb. 18-19 in the Student Activities Center, 1801 N. Kansas, Liberal, Kansas.

Keynote speaker will be Dr. Lowell Catlett, a regent’s professor/dean and chief administrative officer at New Mexico State University's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. As a futurist, his knowledge of technologies and their implications on the way we live and work is addressed in his varied and upbeat presentations. In February 2007, he received the Carl F. Hertz Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers for his service to agriculture. He also was named the 2007 Outstanding Alumni at West Texas A&M University. He works nationally and internationally with corporations and organizations as well as the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Labor, Interior, Defense, Education, Energy and the World Bank.

Mike Irwin, director of the Kansas Farm Bureau Legal Foundation, is the Friday luncheon speaker. A native of Goodland, he has an extensive background in commercial and civil litigation and public administration. Irwin earned an undergraduate degree in Business Finance from Kansas State University, a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Kansas, and a juris doctorate from Washburn University School of Law, Topeka,

The conference, which begins with registration at 12:30 p.m., Feb. 18, will cover estate planning, retirement investment, being a successful landlord, career opportunities, alternative energy sources, commodity trends and outlook and rural transportation.

Platinum sponsors are Pioneer Seed—Bill Hatcher and Rock Ormiston; KSCB radio; First National Bank of Liberal and Hugoton; and Seaboard Foods. Gold sponsors are Great Western Dining and Farm Credit of Southwest Kansas. Meal and conference sponsors are Bank of Beaver City, Seward County Farm Bureau Association and The Community Bank.

Full registration is $30, which includes Thursday evening dinner and Friday lunch. Registration for the Thursday evening dinner and keynote speaker is $20. Student registration is $15. Registration without meals is available at the door for $15.

To register for the conference, contact Evan Winchester, 620-417-1353 or evan.winchester@sccc.edu.