Stay updated on agricultural markets, economics, and risk management. The Ag Banking Conference enhances your knowledge and skills to better serve your ag customers.
Session Info
Harvesting Opportunity: Building Ag Business, Relationships, and Resilience
Kaylee Heap, Senior Grain Portfolio Manager, GROWMARK, Inc.
In this session, a former banker turned ag business owner shares real-world strategies for building strong relationships with farm clients, leveraging innovative marketing tactics, and growing leadership skills through times of change. Learn how to support clients in developing diverse income streams and gain practical insights to help your institution and your borrowers thrive in today’s evolving agricultural environment.
Farm Business Success & Income Outlook: Strategies and Risks for 2025
Bob Rhea, Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association, Gary Schnitkey, UofI Professor; farmdoc
This session highlights the top 10 data-driven strategies for Illinois farm business success in 2025, focusing on actionable approaches for lenders to help clients manage risk, leverage estate planning, and navigate rising debt and input costs. Analysis of grain farm income forecasts for 2024 and 2025 provides context on profitability trends, with special attention to market volatility, weather patterns, and financial management practices relevant to Illinois producers. The discussion equips ag and commercial lenders with insights to support farm clients in making informed decisions amid evolving economic and operational challenges
Legislative Update: Key Policy Developments Impacting Ag Banking
Ben Jackson, EVP, Government Relations, Illinois Bankers Association
Ed Elfmann, SVP, Agricultural and Rural Banking Policy, American Bankers Association
An overview of the most pressing advocacy issues facing ag bankers in 2025. Gain an understanding of how new policies at the state and federal levels may impact ag lending practices, compliance requirements, and the broader farm economy.
Securing the Future: Succession, Strategies in Farmland Ownership
Thomas Jennings and Ryan Michaelsen, Livingston, Barger, Brandt & Schroeder, LLP
This session offers ag bankers and their clients a comprehensive look at the critical issues surrounding succession and estate planning, retirement in farming, and the tax implications of buying and transferring farmland. Navigate the complexities of probate and trusts and ensuring a smooth transition of farm assets across generations. Gain insights on Illinois death tax and federal estate tax laws and discover actionable solutions to help farmland owners achieve long-term sustainability of their farming operations.
Managing Through Economic Chaos
Dr. Dave Kohl, Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech
In a time of relentless economic volatility, uncertainty isn’t just the backdrop — it’s the environment. From stubborn inflation and high interest rates to global geopolitical shocks and shifting commodity markets, bankers face mounting challenges that demand sharper insight and strategic agility. Join us for Managing Through Economic Chaos, a timely and targeted session designed specifically for agricultural lenders navigating today’s unpredictable terrain.
Renewables on the Farm: What to Know About Wind and Solar
Ryan A. Michaelsen & Thomas Jennings, Livingston, Barger, Brandt & Schroeder, LLP
As renewable energy development accelerates across Illinois farmland, ag bankers are increasingly asked to evaluate the financial and legal impacts of wind and solar leases. In this session, experienced attorneys will break down the key legal provisions in energy lease agreements—including information on payment terms across Illinois, easements, lien subordination, insurance, decommissioning, and surface use restrictions. You’ll also learn the best practices for reviewing lease documents, protecting the bank’s security interests, and advising clients who are considering or negotiating these long-term contracts. This session will provide the legal insights ag bankers need to make informed credit decisions in an evolving energy landscape.
Grain Markets Outlook
Matt Bennett, AgMarket.Net®
Gain a comprehensive, real-world perspective on the current and upcoming grain markets in this session led by Matt Bennett of AgMarket.Net®. "Grain Markets Outlook" delivers timely analysis of key drivers shaping the corn and soybean markets, including U.S. and global supply and demand trends, acreage shifts, yield projections, and the impact of weather and policy changes. Matt draws on his extensive experience as a producer, grain marketing consultant, and risk management strategist to break down USDA reports, market fundamentals, and price action scenarios relevant to producers, ag lenders, and agribusiness professionals.
Fireside Chat with Matt Bennett & Eric Snodgrass
Features an in-depth discussion on current crop conditions, market fundamentals, and weather trends impacting production agriculture, blending Bennett's grain market expertise with Snodgrass's meteorological insights. Together, they analyze recent growing season challenges and forecast strategies to help producers navigate unpredictable weather and evolving markets.
High Impact Meteorology
Eric Snodgrass, Sr. Science Fellow, Nutrien Ag Solutions
Weather risk in production agriculture is ubiquitous, and the successful execution of a crop plan requires accurate weather forecasting and analysis. We plan our operations based on weather averages and our experiences over recent growing seasons, but each year presents a new set of weather challenges. In this talk, we will focus on how to use the abundance of weather data to stay ahead to disruptive weather events. We will talk about the limits of predictability for weather events and learn about the resources available to monitor changes in longer-range forecasts. We will review the major lessons from the last growing season and talk about your state’s risk from severe storms – especially high winds, hail events, and tornadoes. We will talk about the big seasonal drivers like El Niño and La Niña discuss the outlook for the next spring and summer. We will finish with a discussion about the next growing season in South America, which competes directly with our crops.