General Sessions

2024 ASFMRA Annual Conference logo

sponsored by
LIA Administrators


Tuesday, November 19 Sessions

OPENING KEYNOTE SPEAKER 

8:00 - 9:00 AM CT

Navigating Rough Terrain: U.S. Economic and Policy Outlook
Esther George, Former President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Four years after a global pandemic, the U.S. economy has not only recovered but has proven resilient to high inflation, geopolitical risks and higher interest rates. The economic road ahead is uncertain and likely to pose challenging dynamics for households and businesses. This presentation will elaborate on these issues. 

SESSION #1 BREAKOUTS

9:00 - 10:00 AM CT

Breakout #1 - Journal of the ASFMRA

How much can appraised farm values differ across appraisers? 
Alejandro Plastina, Director of the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center, University of Columbia-Missouri

In this presentation, attendees will focus on how nine unrelated Certified General Appraisers appraised three farms and arrived at different values. 

An Analysis of Sweat Equity Arrangements in Farm Succession Planning

Jenn Krultz Sather, MAB, MBA, Master of Agribusiness Graduate, Kansas State University 

In this presentation, attendees will learn about how a retiring farmer and returning heir set up an agreement to ensure that the heir's unpaid efforts will be compensated when the family farm transitions. In this study, three simulation farms were created using the Top Third Profit Category of Kansas Farm Management Association data. Then, three sweat equity arrangements were established and analyzed: a percentage agreement, a salary agreement, and an hourly agreement. 

Breakout #2 - Farm Bill 2025
Keith Coble, Vice President, Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University

In this presentation, attendees will focus on various Farm Bill drafts that have been put forward. Assuming a breakthrough does not occur, the farm bill debate is likely to carry forward into 2025. This session will review progress and outstanding issues with the bill. 

Breakout #3 - Outlook for Advanced Precision Farming Adoption and the Impact on American Agriculture
Ben Voss, President, Ink Lake Advisors

This presentation will cover both technical content related to precision farming technologies as well as the market trends, farmer adoption implications and general impacts this will have on the farm economy overall. Precision Farming Technology has the potential to dramatically impact farming operations with scale, efficiency and capabilities for individual farmers, to increase size and consolidate other farms.

AM Networking Break

10:00 - 10:30 AM CT

SESSION #2 BREAKOUTS

10:30 - 11:20 AM CT

Breakout #1 - Does Being Green Mean More Green? Exploring the Sustainability Perspective
Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, Sustainability Director, USFRA

In this session, attendees will learn about the evolution of sustainability in agriculture, what market there is for carbon credits, why CEOs are setting net zero goals, and what impact this could have on U.S. farmland. Companies throughout the agriculture value chain have set Sustainable Development Goals and incentives are tied to how farms are managed. Bonus content: You'll learn why some say Starbucks serves coffee flavored milk! 

Breakout #2 - Cultivating Connections: Tips and Tricks for Authentic Storytelling in Social Media

Valerie Morrow, Director of Social Media, Dairy Farmers of America

In this session, attendees will explore the current landscape of social media usage in America and why users are drawn to these platforms. Participants will learn how to to create relatable, value-added social media content that is relevant, useful, and engaging for their target audience and discover key metrics for building and measuring engaged, authentic online communities. This session will equip attendees with practical strategies to connect meaningfully with clients through effective genuine, relevant storytelling.

Breakout #3 - Seismic Shifts in Predictive Science: The Future of Weather/Climate
Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist, Nutrien Ag Solutions

The US is built for agriculture. The Plains and Mid-West latitude, elevation, soil types, prevailing weather patterns, and distinct meteorological seasons set up this region to be one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world.

The US is built for agriculture. The Plains and Mid-West latitude, elevation, soil types, prevailing weather patterns, and distinct meteorological seasons set up this region to be one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world. During the first half this session, we will discuss long-term trends in weather patterns and talk about new discoveries in climate science that help us understand potential shifts in our climate system. We will approach this discussion from a risk analysis and scenario planning perspective and ask big questions about what the climate pattern look like in the future. The second part of this breakout will be devoted to disruptive technology in predictive science. We will talk about advancements in AI and ML (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) and their application to predicting weather that impacts ag. We will also dive a bit more deeply into where AI may change our ag practices and increase efficiency, spot problems sooner, estimate yields more accurately, and change the way we interact with one of our most valuable assets – the data we collect when farming. 

SESSION #3 BREAKOUTS

1:00 PM - 1:50 PM CT

Breakout#1: The Outlook for Corn Belt Agriculture
Scott Irwin, Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing, University of Illinois

Participants will hear about trends in real farm income, long-run average grain prices, short-run supply/demand balances for grains, corn and soybean net return outlook, implications for land values and rents, and bearish and bullish wildcards.

Breakout#2: Land Values Panel
District VPs 


Breakout#3: AgWare - Where are your maps going?
Christine Lepore, Customer Manager, AgWare, Inc.

This presentation will focus on mapping, discussing the pros and cons of different mapping services, how AgWare integrates some mapping services in our applications, the best mapping options for inspections and where AgWare sees mapping services going in the future. 

PM Networking Break

2:00 - 2:30 PM CT

CLOSING KEYNOTE SPEAKER

2:30 - 3:20 PM CT

Us VS. Them!
Jeff Havens, Founder, The Jeff Havens Company

If you’ve listened to any other discussion about generational issues at work, then you’ve undoubtedly been told there are four distinct generations operating side-by-side in today’s working world. You’ve then been told the differences between those four generations, and then you’ve been told (although probably not in these exact words) that you need to just deal with all these different people, because they’re not going away and they’re not going to change how they operate. If that advice suits you, fantastic. However, if you’ve ever been frustrated by how impossible it seems to employ four different strategies to manage four distinct generations, and if you’ve ever felt like you’re the only one who’s being asked to make any changes, then Us Vs. Them is exactly what you need. Because it turns out that there really aren’t four generations. In this hysterical keynote, you’ll learn a simpler way of looking at your own generational picture, and you’ll also learn how to understand, recognize, and resolve every generational issue facing today’s workforce. That’s no exaggeration; by the end of Us Vs. Them, you and your colleagues will walk away with all of the knowledge you’ll need to address 100% of the generational issues you’ll face for the rest of your career. Other generational presentations focus on what people want, but Us Vs. Them will tell you why everyone wants the different things they do. It’s an important distinction, and it will make implementing new solutions easier than you ever thought possible. So get ready to laugh more and learn more than you ever thought possible. Because improving your generational issues doesn’t have to be boring.