The Northwest Farm Managers Association will hold its 106th annual meeting for producers and others interested in agriculture on Feb. 4 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo, according to Andy Swenson, North Dakota State University Extension Service farm management specialist.
Presentations will focus on providing information to help guide producers through the current challenges in agriculture. Topics include farm financial and risk management, grain market outlook and strategies, transition and estate planning, crop input cost outlook, grain transportation issues and farm bill decisions.
“Grain Market Outlook: OK, What the Heck Now?” will be presented by Bill Biedermann. He is the co-founder of Allendale Inc., which is one of the largest introducing brokerage and agricultural economic research firms in the country.
Other topics and speakers include:
- Financial management after the golden era of crop production – Paul Ellinger, University of Illinois Agricultural Economics Department head. Ellinger has spent many years working on farm finance and risk management issues.
- The real dirt on estate planning – Carolyn Thompson, founder of Thompson Law P.C. in Sioux Falls, S.D. The law firm specializes in helping farm families determine and achieve their transition and estate planning goals.
- Crop input outlook – Ken Astrup, Dakota Plains Cooperative general manager/CEO. Dakota Plain serves 16 locations in southeastern North Dakota.
- Grain market transportation and our competitive position – Kim Vachal, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute program director in the institute’s Agricultural, Energy and Industrial Freight Center.
- 2014 farm bill: Make your decisions and don’t look back – Dwight Aakre, NDSU Extension farm management specialist. Aakre has explained the farm bill at 50 locations and to more than 7,000 people during the past year.
The meeting is open to the public. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the meeting starts at 9. The fee for attending is $50, payable at the door. The fee includes a noon meal and breaks.
Source:ndsu.edu