Wednesday, February 19th
8:00am – 5:00pm: JoAnn Wall, CEO/Principal Appraiser, Above & Beyond Real Estate Services, Inc., “Best practices.”
Description: This seminar will address issues related to the completion of agricultural appraisals using techniques deemed “best practices." The seminar will help the appraiser to consistently exceed the expectations of intended users and the standards and practices of their peers for similar assignments. ‘Best Practices’ is intended to reinforce the need to continually question the use of existing techniques and methodology, promote innovation, and improve the quality of appraisals being completed by rural appraisers. Users of farm appraisal reports will benefit from more thorough, readable reports and reliable, well supported valuations. Those taking the seminar will benefit from increased confidence and perceived value in appraisal results and improved reputation for quality and professionalism.
All materials will be provided digitally.
Thursday, February 20th
8:00am - 8:30am: Registration
8:30am - 9:00am: Richard Fehy, Fehy Seed Farm, “Cover crops on the farm—is it more than economics?”
Description: Richard will present on his experience with cover cropping in Kansas. Richard Feyh lives and farms near Alma, Ks with his wife Debbie. They have 9 kids and 2 grandkids. He has a BS in Agronomy and MS in soil fertility from KSU. Richard, Debbie, two sons and employees grow corn, milo, and soybeans. They also grow native prairie grass, wildflowers, smooth brome grass, rye, buckwheat, mung beans, and Japanese millet as seed crops. They operate a cleaning facility to process the seed crops. For 10 years, all crops have been grown using regenerative methods, limiting purchased inputs and building soil life and health.
9:00am - 10am: Scott Deeter, Rice Grower, “Why rice is being grown in Kansas.”
Description: Scott will present information on ExpressTec. ExpressTec is a company based in Kansas that develops, manufactures and sells products derived from its sustainable biotechnology platform using cereal grains as the biological manufacturing host. The company’s products deliver improved nutrition and health in the food and beverage industry.
10:00am - 10:15am: Refreshment break.
10:15am – 11:00am: Jessica Gnad, Director of K-State 105, Kansas State University, “Update on Kansas State University’s 105 program.”
Description: Jessica will discuss how their initiative supports the advancement of economic and community development in Kansas. Organization has launched partnerships with nearly 80 organizations in Kansas collaborating with a diverse group of stakeholders across the state. K-State 105 is building a statewide ecosystem of committed, creative partners to advance the economic prosperity of all 105 counties in Kansas.
11:00am - 11:30am: Q & A session.
Description
11:30am - 1:00pm: Lunch break
1:00pm - 2:00pm: Pascal Hitzler, Professor and Lloyd T. Smith Creativity in Engineering Chair, Kansas State University, “Artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainable agriculture.”
Description: This session will provide an overview of new developments in data science and artificial intelligence as it relates to agriculture. Organizing big data using knowledge graphs and other topics.
2:00pm - 3:00pm: Terry Griffin, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, “Analysis of herbicide drift using satellite imagery.”
Description: The unintended consequences of off-target herbicide application has led to disputes among farmers, custom applicators, and other stakeholders. The objective of this session is to explore the complexities of chemical trespass, encompassing economic, legal, and technological dimensions, while emphasizing the urgency of bringing awareness to this issue; all in hopes of dispute mitigation.
3:00pm - 3:15pm: Refreshment break.
3:15pm - 5:00pm: Robin Reid, Extension Associate, Kansas State University, “Analysis of recent trends in agricultural land values.”
Description: Presentation of recent trends and patterns in agricultural land sales across Kansas. Trends over time and patterns across regions will be discussed.
5:00pm: Adjourn for the day.
Friday, February 21st
8:00am - 9:00am: Glynn Tonsor, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, “Update to the cattle/livestock industry.”
Description: This session will provide information on recent trends in beef exports, retail beef demand, retail beef prices, and outlooks on the beef and livestock markets more generally.
9:00am - 10:00am: Lukas Koch, Chief Technology Officer, Heinen Brothers Agra Services, “Autonomous aviation and aerial spraying.”
Description: This session will provide presentation and discussion on the aerial services in the agricultural industry to farmers and ranchers over the past 30 years and putting the customer first while upholding strong core values.
10:00am – 10:30am: Refreshment break.
10:30am - 11:00am: Lukas Koch, Chief Technology Officer, Heinen Brothers Agra Services, “Use of drones in farm management.”
Description: This session will introduce unmanned systems and collaborating between all members of the agricultural value chain (growers, AgTech OEMs, service providers, researchers, etc.) in order to drive the most exciting agricultural technology to true commercialization.