Coronavirus forces delays in food and ag meetings

Chuck Abbott

Organizers announced the delay of three conferences, involving dairy farmers, consumer activists and hemp entrepreneurs, because of the widening outbreak of the coronavirus on Monday. And the government said a meeting of the Dietary Guidelines advisory committee on Thursday and Friday “will move to an online-only format out of an abundance of caution in response to travel restrictions imposed by some of the members’ employers.”

The Consumer Federation of America said it hoped to re-schedule its National Food Conference for later this year. The conference, which draws several hundred attendees, was set for Wednesday and Thursday. “With the spread of COVID-19 cases to the Washington, D.C., metro area, and recommendations to attendees of other recent gatherings in the DC area to self-quarantine following the discovery of new COVID-19 cases,” a postponement was prudent, the federation said.

Dairy Farmers of America was scheduled to hold its annual meeting in Kansas City from March 16-18 but postponed the meeting as a precaution, said Dairy Herd Management. In an email, DFA said it was planning a meeting of delegates and farmer leaders later this year.

The NoCo Hemp Expo, held annually in Denver, was rescheduled to Aug. 6-8 from the original dates of March 26-28, said organizers. “The decision to shift the timing of this year’s Expo has not been an easy one. The health and safety of all participants remains a top priority,” said Morris Beegle, expo producer. A digital conference, “to continue the conversation about hemp,” may be held in coming weeks, he said. In addition, the Southern Hemp Expo, scheduled for Aug 14-15, in Nashville, was put on hold with a decision to be made later whether to hold the expos.

Last week, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center cancelled Interdrought 2020, a scientific conference on crop breeding for arid climates, which was scheduled for this week in Mexico City. “Unfortunately, the public health emergency is force majeure, which makes it impossible to hold face-to-face meetings,” it said.