Release Number 5522-08

Release: 5522-08
For Release: July 24, 2008

CFTC’s Agricultural Advisory Committee to Meet
July 29, 2008

Committee to Discuss Futures and Cash Markets Price Convergence, Agricultural Swaps, Settlement Prices, the Role of Margin, and Credit Issues

Washington, DC – The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) will convene a meeting of its Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) on Tuesday, July 29, 2008, to obtain information on the views of agricultural futures market experts, national farm organizations, major commodity and agribusiness groups, and the farm banking community. Topics to be discussed include current conditions in the agricultural markets, including issues related to convergence in the futures and cash markets, agricultural swaps, settlement prices, the role of margin, and credit issues.

The meeting will be conducted by CFTC Commissioner Michael V. Dunn, who serves as Chairman of the Committee.

The Commission held a public forum to discuss agricultural markets on April 22, 2008. Following the forum, the Commission announced several initiatives related to those markets, which have been experiencing record prices and volatility. “The Commission has been moving forward to ensure we have the most transparent, open, and fair markets possible,” said Commissioner Dunn. “We will be reviewing what the Commission and industry have done so far and examining what remains to be done.”

The AAC meeting is open to the public and will be webcast via the internet. Also, audio of the meeting will be available via a listen-only conference call.

What:

Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting

Location:

CFTC Headquarters, Lobby-level Hearing Room
1155 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC

Date:

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Time:

9:00 a.m. EDT – 4:00 p.m. EDT

Viewing/Listening Information:

The CFTC has made available the following options to access the meeting:

1. Watch a live broadcast of the meeting via webcast on www.cftc.gov.

2. Call in to a toll-free telephone line to connect to a live audio feed.

Call-in participants should be prepared to provide their first name, last name, and affiliation. Conference call information is listed below:

Domestic Toll-Free: 866-759-0291
International Toll: 763-416-8828
The conference ID: 57348676
Call leader name: “Agricultural Advisory Committee”

Media Contacts
Ianthe Zabel
202-418-5080

Dennis Holden
202-418-5088

Last Updated: July 28, 2008