By Cat Holmes
University of Georgia,
Former Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs Paul A. Drazek, an agricultural trade policy specialist, is the featured speaker. He will present a lecture entitled is “Trade Negotiations and Agriculture: What Can Georgia Farmers Expect?”
The topic should be of particular interest to anyone concerned with Georgia’s economy, said Fred White, head of UGA’s department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.
“Trade negotiations have been at forefront since the recent World Trade Organization (WTO) summit in Cancun,” White said. “This talk is important because agricultural trade is so critical to Georgia.”
Drazek has more than thirty years of experience in the field of international trade policy and an extensive knowledge of domestic and international trade rules and practices. He counsels U.S. agricultural groups and businesses and has been involved in numerous consultations and negotiations involving agricultural trade issues in every region of the world.
In his position at the Department of Agriculture, he helped formulate U.S. trade policy, and coordinate policy-level groups to resolve trade disputes with foreign countries.
The Outstanding Agricultural Economist Awards, sponsored by the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia, recognize agricultural economists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership. Two awards will be presented: the Distinguished Young Professional Award and the Distinguished Professional Award.
The 2003 J.W. Fanning Lecture Series is sponsored by the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia (AEAG), the UGA Agricultural and Applied Economics Department, the UGA Office of International Public Service and Outreach and the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership.
The lecture series is named for Dr. J.W. Fanning, former Vice President for Public Service and department head of the Agricultural Economics department at UGA. He was instrumental in developing public service and outreach at UGA.
Registration and refreshments start at 10 a.m. on the second floor concourse of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. The lecture will follow at 10:30 a.m. in Rooms K/L. The luncheon and awards ceremony will follow at 12:00 p.m. in the banquet area of the Georgia Center.
The lecture is free and open to the public. To register for the luncheon, please send $20 to the Agricultural Economics Association of Georgia, 301 Conner Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7509. For more information call (706) 542- 2481.
