Welcome Reception

Tuesday, December 2, 2025
5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
SUNSET SOCIAL

Join fellow participants for one of Dubai’s most beautiful view as we welcome all to the region’s signature event.  

Location: SOBE ROOFTOP LOUNGE

CrushCon Day - 1 

Location: Great Room, Lobby Level, The W Hotel   |   Dress Code: Business Casual

Wednesday, December 3, 2025
8:30 AM - 8:35 AM
 
 
8:35 AM - 8:55 AM

USSEC’s executive director for the Middle East/North Africa & South Asia (MENASA) sets the stage for the next day and a half.  

Kevin Roepke
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM

The U.S. Soybean Export Council is a proud partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Foreign Agricultural Service.  The GCC’s regional agricultural attaché provides us with his comments and insights into market development

Jeffrey Zimmerman
9:10 AM - 9:30 AM

USSEC’s Chief Executive Officer gives us his thoughts on how the soy industry has evolved over time and sees the future of nutrition security.    

Jim Sutter
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM

Learn how farmers in the U.S. are responding to a need for more food production while doing it in an environmentally and socially conscious manner. 

Janna Fritz
9:50 AM - 10:30 AM

The farm-level commitment for U.S. Soy exports is at an all-time high and growing.  Learn about how farmers invest in not only their businesses, but international markets as well.  

Susan Watkins Janna Fritz Kevin Roepke Rob Shaffer Jim Sutter
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Sponsored by:  CoBank 

 
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Mark is one of agriculture’s leading minds in terms of strategy, asset development and capital expenditures.  Learn together as we tap into his sense of where the industry is heading—this is a keynote you will not want to miss.  

Mark Zenuk
11:30 AM - 11:50 AM

Geopolitics, crush expansion, storage limitations and margin compression are all top of mind for the oilseeds sector this year. Learn from one of the world’s premier analysts on how to navigate the challenging waters.  

Tanner Ehmke
11:50 AM - 12:10 PM

Sticky inflation pressure, shifting trade dynamics and evolving trade policies must all be used when determining the calculus of international businesses.  Cobank sits at the nexus of all these sectors and will share their viewpoint.  

Candace Roper
12:10 PM - 12:45 PM

From currency movements and interest rate trajectories to geopolitical risk and commodity demand, panelists will explore who these forces intersect to influence your bottom line.  

Mark Zenuk Tanner Ehmke Candace Roper
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM
 
 
2:00 PM - 2:20 PM

Learn how sustainability on U.S. Soy farms builds brand equity and growth for customers around the world.   

Christelle Cordahi
2:20 PM - 2:50 PM

Deforestation, dryness, digestibility, and damage are all factors in determining ultimate value of soybeans.  Learn how these factors impact downstream product quality and can set your products apart.  

Will McNair Tom D'Alfonso
2:50 PM - 3:20 PM

Predictive analytics can only accurately forecast if the underlying algorithms are properly trained. You’ll be asked to be the world’s first test case in a revolutionary product being developed in collaboration with MIT. 

Roberto Ignacio Rigobon
3:20 PM - 3:30 PM
 
 
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
 
Reza Abdollahi Matthew Clark Will McNair

Location: Great Room, Lobby Level, The W Hotel

Location: Studio, Lobby Level, The W Hotel

H̶u̶n̶g̶e̶rCON 

Join us for an awards night as we recognize the region's trailblazers who are championing food and nutrition security. 

Location: Secret Garden, The W Hotel  |   Dress Code: Black Tie

Wednesday, December 3, 2025
6:30 PM
 
 
6:30 PM - 7:15 PM

 Guests are invited to network and then begin taking their seats promptly at 7:15 pm

 
7:15 PM

Featured dishes include revolutionary U.S. High Oleic Soybean Oil

Deeba Giannoulis
7:30 PM - 7:40 PM

Listen to Senior USSEC leadership discuss their commitment to global nutrition security.  

Janna Fritz
7:40 PM - 8:00 PM

There is no greater name in the history books of the eradication of hunger than Borlaug.  Learn how Julie Borlaug keeps her grandfather’s legacy alive and well in the pursuit of a more nourished society.  

Julie Borlaug Larson
8:00 PM - 8:05 PM
 
 
8:05 PM - 8:15 PM
 
Bonita Sharma Dr Kauser Malik B.M.Prasanna
8:15 PM
 
 

CrushCon - Day 2

Location: Great Room, Lobby Level, The W Hotel   |   Dress Code: Business Casual

Thursday, December 4, 2025
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
 
Deeba Giannoulis
9:00 AM - 9:20 AM

Paradoxically, both malnutrition and obesity are on the rise.  Protein stands at the crossroads as the solution to both issues.  

Christelle Cordahi
9:20 AM - 10:20 AM

Protein has found its way atop everyone’s minds.  As the world transitions from food security to nutrition security, get an in-depth perspective on the animal protein sector within the region and discover new trends and opportunities. 

Sponsored by the Right to Protein 

Abdul Basit Tom D'Alfonso Divya Kumar Gulati Kevin Roepke
10:20 AM - 10:50 AM
 
 
10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

As everyone looks to China for the majority of global soybean imports, let’s take a deep dive into prospects for continued growth and challenges and discover some hidden opportunities.

Darin Friedrichs
11:10 AM - 12:00 PM

The entire global oilseeds processing industry has never been more dynamic than it is right now.  Trade flows, crush capacity, and biofuels policies are creating enormous challenges, but enormous wealth and opportunity.  Listen in as we take a regional focus and have a discussion with some of the world’s most influential people in the soybean processing sector.    

Sanjeev Asthana Shahzad Ali Khan Nicolas Bäcker Osama Soliman
12:00 PM - 12:20 PM

Join us as we honor the top performers from our protein focused capacity-building program, the Soy Excellence Center and acknowledge the latest customers who have signed on to use the ‘Sustainable U.S. Soy’ label on their packaging.  

Kevin Roepke
12:20 PM - 12:30 PM
 
Susan Watkins
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
 
 
2:00 PM