PIERRE, S.D. - Governors from 10 western states and premiers from two Canadian provinces plan to gather in the historic northern Black Hills gambling town of Deadwood to talk about agricultural policy, global warming and border security.

Members of the Western Governors' Association are particularly eager to discuss the 2007 Farm Bill with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, who was a member of the group when he was governor of Nebraska, said the association's chairman, Gov. Mike Rounds, of South Dakota.

"Most of us know Mike personally," Rounds said. "We're just very fortunate he can come on out and give us some insight on what he sees going on with the 2007 Farm Bill and some of the other issues the western governors will express to him."

The Western Governors' Association annual meeting begins Sunday with a discussion of renewable energy projects and efforts to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Johanns talks about agriculture issues on Monday, and the meeting ends Tuesday with a discussion on how to cope with climate change.

The annual meeting gives governors from the 19-state region a chance to develop positions aimed at influencing national policies on important issues, Rounds said.

Congress seems to be accepting much of what Johanns proposed in the Farm Bill, Rounds said. That measure deals not only with production of food and fiber, but also with the growth of corn and other crops for ethanol and other renewable energy, he said.

The South Dakota governor said he is interested in programs that promote conservation. Those programs are important for providing wildlife habitat in states where hunting is a big part of the economy, and grasses could eventually be used in ethanol production, he said.

"We also want to talk about things such as drought and flood and how much of the Farm Bill should be used to respond to emergency needs and how much of should be related to energy policy," Rounds said.

Discussions will include new technology for producing energy and reducing pollution, he said.

"Most of us would agree that the climate is changing. Now the question is, what do we do to slow down these changes, and second of all, how do we transition our economies to be able to respond to the climate changes that are occurring?" the South Dakota governor said. "How does government respond with its programs to the possibilities of significant and more drastic drought conditions and significant weather patterns that might be changing?"

One topic will be carbon sequestration, which includes removing more carbon dioxide from power plant emissions and using plants to remove more carbon dioxide from the air.

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert will talk with the governors and Stewart A. Baker, assistant secretary of the U.S. Homeland Security Department, about immigration and international travel.

The Canadian premiers would like to establish secure North American borders that prevent terrorists from entering the continent without imposing big barriers to travel between the United States and Canada, Rounds said.

"They don't want to see significant restrictions that could harm our economies here for tourism and so forth," Rounds said.

Expected to attend are Rounds, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal.

The governors will take some time off in the evenings to relax and see some of the Black Hills.

On Sunday evening, the governors will attend a reception and street dance held on Deadwood's Main Street among the bright lights of casinos. They will attend a dinner and reception at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Monday night.