Agenda
Conference day one
- 08:15 - 09:15
Registration and breakfast
- 09:15 - 09:20
Chairperson's opening remarks
Speakers Include:
Michel Portier
Argus- 09:20 - 10:00
Geopolitics and macroeconomy: How is war and increasing protectionism reshaping trade routes and fuelling commodity volatility?
• Assessing food and energy prices and how it has led to inflationary pressures in the past few years. What is the future? • US president-elect Donald Trump’s second term. What does it mean for the Russia Ukrainian war and the US-China trade war, among other relations around the world? Looking at US import and export policies. • What are the long term implications of shifting supply chains and trade routes for global economic stability and resilience? What role can alternative energy sources play in mitigating the impact of oil price volatility on the global economy? • The dominance of long-term factors such as population growth in driving agricultural prices versus the more cyclical nature of energy and industrial commodity prices.Speakers Include:
Stephane Bernhard
Global Head of TradingETG Commodities
Volodymyr Korchun
Head of TradingLNZ Trading
David Fyfe
Chief EconomistArgus- 10:00 - 10:40
Argus’s view on global grains and oilseeds snapshot and outlook: pricing, evaluating risk and opportunities in the market
• Where are we in terms of production and what is the pricing outlook? What are the current market conditions for agriculture and energy commodities? • How do we see the market evolving for the rest of this season and in the 2025-26 marketing year? • What is the crop progress in the northern hemisphere? What were the harvest developments of the last crop, or what will be its developments • Argus' latest crop tours, and our view on crop developments in key marketsSpeakers Include:
Maxence Devillers
Senior AnalystArgus
Konstantin Rozhnov
Editor, AgricultureArgus- 10:40 - 11:15
Networking coffee break
- 11:15 - 11:45
Trader perspectives: What are the key pricing and fundamentals trends in global grains, oilseeds and feedstock markets, and what can we expect in coming years?
• The global wheat markets are becoming more prompt as rising state intervention and subsidies limit farmer selling in major exporting countries; this state intervention has provoked a shift away from traditional FOB sales to destination CNF deals; • With China's wheat production at all time highs; changing custom regulations impacting the country's soybeans buying pace; and supressed feed grains demand, what will the coming year herald for the world's top agricultural importer? • How do trade agreements and tensions, such as US-China relations and Mercosur-EU, affect the availability, competitiveness and trade flows for agricultural and feedstock products? • Will we see Latin America and Asia emerge as important feedstock suppliers in the near future to meet EU mandates? • Managing basis risk remains a key challenge in the global grains markets, with previous attempts hampered - Black Sea grains hedging tools - where do we go from here?Speakers Include:
Tiago Manuel Proenca
Senior Grains TraderAvere Commodities
Kenichi Miyanagi
General Manager, Food Grain & Oilseeds DepartmentMitsui & Co
Paul Wightman
Senior Director Research and Product DevelopmentCME Group
Dr. Evgeniya Dudinova
Procurement Director Commodities/GrainsAgthia
Fiona Poynter
VP AgricultureArgus- 11:45 - 12:15
Risk management strategies in the agriculture and energy world
• How can industry manage price risk? What tools are available?
• How is hedging achieved given current geopolitical circumstances? What is the need for new hedging tools and trade practices?
• How do fluctuations in global commodity prices (e.g., corn, sugarcane, soy) impact biofuel production costs and profitability? What hedging tools can the biofuel industry use to mitigate risks tied to feedstock price volatility?
• Shifting weather patterns and climate change: How to mitigate the risk. How are extreme weather events and shifting climatic patterns affecting global crop yields and trade flows? What technologies are available to mitigate the detrimental effects of weather on crops?Speakers Include:
Ryan Easterbrook
Head of Grains & OIlseedsADM Investor Services- 12:15 - 13:45
Networking lunch break
- 13:45 - 14:30
The evolution of agriculture and its importance in fuelling the bioeconomy
• What is the future of grains and oilseeds production? How can the industry successfully champion grains and oilseeds as sustainable feedstock for the energy transition? • How has agriculture transitioned from traditional food and fibre production to becoming a critical provider of renewable feedstocks for energy, chemicals, and materials? • What advancements in agricultural practices (e.g., precision farming, regenerative agriculture) are enabling higher productivity and sustainability for bio-based industries? • How are agribusiness’ diversifying revenue streams by supplying bioenergy feedstocks, such as corn for ethanol, soy for biodiesel, or manure for biomethane? • How can agriculture contribute to carbon sequestration and mitigate climate change?Speakers Include:
Katharina Geiger
Policy Advisor Crop ProductionGerman Farmers Association
Claude Soude
Vice Chair of both Copa-Cogeca Bioenergy Working Party and Oilseeds/Protein Crops Working PartyCopa Cogeca
Michael Losch
Coordinator for BioeconomyEuropean CommissionFiona Poynter
VP AgricultureArgus- 14:30 - 15:15
The defining role of bio-energy in the coming years: What does it mean for the agriculture world?
With countries accelerating their use of agriculture feedstocks for biofuels, such as Brazilian and Indian corn for ethanol and Indonesian palm oil for biodiesel and SAF, what will it mean for agriculture products’ supply and demand? • How long will bio-energy be applicable for the agriculture industry as a demanding party for grains, soybeans, rapeseed, sugarcane, corn and other agriculture products? What have been the takeaways from biofuel produced from food crops in countries that are well established such as Brazil, US, India? • How resilient is the bioenergy sector to economic shocks like supply chain disruptions or fluctuating energy prices? • How will shortages in the vegetable oil market influence food consumption and at the same time the biofuels market? Will we see substitutes with rapeseed? • How can farmers and energy companies collaborate to establish supply chains and ensure long-term market growth?Speakers Include:
Paolo Torelli
Head of Market Analytics and SustainabilityENI
Glauco Bertoldo
Agricultural AttacheMinistry of Agriculture and Livestock, Mission of Brazil to the European Union
Charles Hary
Trading Manager, AgricultureMedara Trading
David Carpintero
Director GeneralePURE
Fabricio Cardoso
Principal, ConsultingArgus- 15:15 - 16:00
Networking coffee break
- 16:00 - 16:45
Are EU policies and regulations hindering key opportunities for the agriculture and energy sectors?
• How can EU Agricultural Policies align with broader energy transition goals? How can integrated policy approaches encourage synergies between agricultural practices and renewable energy investments? • How are the EUDR, IRA, CBAM, and RED III shifting agriculture demand? How are regulations and incentives reshaping the market and creating new opportunities for the agriculture and energy sectors? How will they affect trade into Europe? • What impact does the EU Green Deal, Fit for 55 and other biofuels policies globally have on international trade and feedstock sourcing? What regulations are we seeing around feedstocks in the EU? • Will we see the development of an agriculture emissions trading system, and what opportunities exist for agriculture to participate in the EU carbon trading schemes?Speakers Include:
André Paula Santos
Head of EU PolicyNuseed
Aleksandra Błazeusz
System ManagerISCC System
Xavier Noyon
Secretary GeneralEuropean Biodiesel Board (EBB)- 16:45 - 16:50
Chairperson's closing remarks
Speakers Include:
Michel Portier
Argus- 17:00 - 18:15
Drinks reception
Conference day two
- 08:15 - 09:15
Breakfast and registration
- 09:15 - 09:20
Chairperson's opening remarks
Speakers Include:
Gautier Le Molgat
SVP, Head of FranceArgus- 09:20 - 10:00
Feedstocks in different shapes and forms: Unlocking feedstocks for the energy sector
Examining energy crop profiles, agriculture residues, waste, and animal products for feedstocks. • What are the developments of new feedstocks and the emergence of new technologies to deal with such feedstocks? What novel crops are the industry seeing with the potential to be a large-scale feedstock option for biofuel production? • What are the logistical challenges in transporting feedstocks from farms to energy plants? How can Europe secure a reliable and sustainable supply of agricultural feedstocks for bioproducts and bioenergy? • Sourcing new low carbon intensity feedstocks and the latest revisions of Annex 9: What is on the list, and what are the opportunities for the industry? • How can we ensure the crops being grown and going into the energy markets and transportation sectors have the lowest possible carbon intensity score? How can we improve the traceability of the origins of the feedstocks and biofuels? • Is there an opportunity for palm oil companies to trade with Europe in a sustainable way?Speakers Include:
Sara Alonso
Head of Novel Vegetable OilsNeste
Fernando Candia
VP Carbon SolutionsBUNGE
Arezki Djelouadji
PartnerGreenea
Dan Lieberman
Global Sustainability Strategy & Engagement LeadNuseedFabricio Cardoso
Principal, ConsultingArgus- 10:00 - 10:50
Cover crops: why are they important and what is the potential?
• What are cover crops? How are they grown? What potential does crop have in helping make farming practices more sustainable and profitable? • While cover crops might be the solution for the feedstocks concern, "the job is not done". How will the EU make it happen, and will they be a viable feedstock? What would be the potential availability of cover crops? • Will intermediate crops have a positive effect in agriculture that does not lead to land use change, and that will deliver GHG savings? • What role do cover crops and agroforestry play in increasing carbon capture? • Storage and crushing infrastructure for cover crops: Will we need to invest in new storage to handle different, new crops that are much smaller in seed size compared with corn, for example?Speakers Include:
Eirik Pitkethly
VP of Regulatory Affairs BioenergyBP
Angel Alvarez Alberdi
Secretary GeneralEWABA
Yuri Yambanis
DirectorCamelina Company- 10:50 - 11:30
Networking coffee break
- 11:30 - 12:00
Biomethane: How can the biomethane industry capitalize on the growing demand for green energy sectors?
• How can agricultural waste and residues contribute to the growing biomethane market and be used to generate energy for heating, electricity and renewable fuels? • How will the EU’s Fit for 55 strategy and REPowerEU plan drive biomethane adoption in agriculture? • What are the technological innovations in anaerobic digestion for producing biomethane from agricultural residues and waste? How can anaerobic digestion technology be adapted to better handle diverse and complex agricultural residues? • How can we accelerate investment in the biomethane value chain?- 12:00 - 12:45
Bio-chemicals and bioplastics as a promising diversification for the agricultural industry
• Which companies are integrating bio-based feedstocks into their business plans? How can agribusinesses benefit from the growing demand for bio-based products? • How can agricultural residues be effectively utilized and converted into high-value bioplastics or biochemicals promoting a circular economy? • How can agricultural inputs for bioplastics and biochemicals be produced sustainably, avoiding deforestation or soil degradation? • What are the technological advancements in biorefineries that enable the production of bio-based chemicals?Speakers Include:
Martin Clemesha
Technical Advocacy LeadBraskem
Michael Carus
Executive Manager of RCI and Founder of nova-Institute
Carlo Hamelinck
Partnerstudio Gear Up- 12:45 - 13:45
Chairperson's closing remarks and networking lunch break
Speakers Include:
Gautier Le Molgat
SVP, Head of FranceArgus