The structure of agriculture is certain to change with the tide of the new millennium.

In anticipation of these changes, the College of Agriculture will be hosting a satellite conference Monday.

The conference, titled “Agriculture in the 21st Century — Surviving and Thriving,” will be televised to 28 different sites throughout the state.

The broadcast will originate from the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

The speakers will talk primarily about the role farmers will play in the coming century and trends in agriculture over the next two years and beyond, said Brian Meyer, agriculture communications specialist.

He said the conference “provides a forum for talking about ways that some changes in agriculture benefit farmers and Iowa.”

The conference also will allow those in attendance “to sit down with farmers and discuss the structure of agricultural changes in the next two years. Pointing out these opportunities and making the farmers aware of them is important,” Meyer said.

One of the trends in agriculture is the move toward larger farms and fewer farmers, he said.

“In the industry, there have been a lot of mergers with large companies. Those kind of trends are what is driving the main changes in structure,” Meyer said. “Companies that are larger and getting into agriculture are consolidating in different groups.”

The keynote speaker for the event is scheduled to be Michael Boehlje, agricultural economics professor at Purdue University. Boehlje will speak about the role of producers in a changing agricultural environment.

Also scheduled to speak are Bruce Babcock, director of ISU’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, and Wayne Seaman from West Central Cooperative.

One major topic an afternoon panel will address is the advantages and disadvantages of alliances in agriculture.

“An alliance is a group of agricultural producers who have gotten together and decided to do something differently, whether it’s to produce animals or crops a different way or market these products a different way,” Meyer said.

Farmers can make more profits by implementing joint marketing, Meyer said.

Although the conference is directed toward agricultural producers, elected officials and various agricultural businesspeople, anyone may attend. There is a $20 registration fee.