Networker to share profit secrets at New Crops Conference

One of the world’s leading authorities on commercial networking will share some of the secrets to success for Australia’s new crop industries at the University of Queensland (UQ) Gatton next month.

Dr Peter Goldsmith from the University of Illinois in the United States is a keynote speaker at the second Australian New Crops Conference and will explain how companies can boost profits by cooperating to supply what consumers want.

Dr Goldsmith’s address will focus on networking in new crop industries, the role of new generation cooperatives and the nature of limited liability partnerships. Of particular interest to Australian new crop proponents will be his discussion of how new networking models can lead to more effective supply chain management.

“This will be an opportunity for those who feel the traditional forms of networking are no longer working for their business and want to learn about the latest developments with cooperatives and other forms of networking from one of the best in the business,” Conference Chairman Dr Rob Fletcher said.

“Dr Goldsmith holds an academic post in Agribusiness Management in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, USA and was recently appointed the National Soybean Research Laboratory Endowed Fellow in Agricultural Strategy. He also maintains adjunct positions at both the Universidad de Belgrano and Universdad Catolica in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“His research interest is structural change in the agri-food supply chain and its effect on agribusinesses and farmers and in 1997 he won the prestigious Edwin G. Nourse award for outstanding doctoral research on cooperatives.

“He’s also had first hand experience in primary industry, having worked in the US dairy industry as a herdsman, as assistant general manager of a cooperative and as a large animal specialist in the U.S. Peace Corps in South America.”

The second Australian New Crops Conference runs from 22-24 September at the UQ Gatton campus, with a number of pre-conference workshops scheduled for 20 and 21 September. Major sponsors include the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.

Further information can be obtained from Conference Organiser, Sally Brown, 07 3201 2808, sally.brown@uq.net.au or from the Conference Website: www.newcrops.uq.edu.au/nc2004/

Media contact: Sally Brown sally.brown@uq.net.au 07 3201 2808 or
Rob Fletcher r.fletcher@uq.edu.au 0401 715 717
RIRDC Murray Hansen (02) 6272 4735 or 0422 996 525

A picture of Dr Goldsmith is available: http://w3.aces.uiuc.edu/itcs/photo/pickup/pgoldsmi/