Minding Ag's Business

MT. JULIET, Tenn. (DTN) -- Known for the best business insights in agriculture, the 2023 DTN Ag Summit promises not to disappoint.

The all-virtual format means you can participate from your home, office or tractor cab. Our webinar-meets-television show style helps us move through compelling information quickly and effectively, so you can get the information you need and get back to business.

If can't join us live from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CST on Dec. 5-6, you can catch the replay when the timing is convenient to you.

Here are four reasons you don't want to miss out. If you just want to stop reading right now and register, click here: https://dtn.link/….

The link will also be at the bottom of the article if you'd rather wait until you get there.

1. TOP-SHELF PANEL DISCUSSIONS

This year's program includes two excellent panel discussions, with one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday.

Tuesday's panel puts the focus on farmland and where prices are heading. Its panelists include Jeramy Stephens, partner and managing broker at National Land Realty; Howard Halderman, president and CEO of Halderman Real Estate and Farm Management; and David Martin, managing director of USAgriculture.

While they'll be digging into price drivers in the space, they'll also discuss other hot-button land issues like who's buying, whether they're farmers, investors or foreigners.

Agricultural technology gets smarter every day, and Wednesday's panel will pull back the curtain on technology that's about ready to hit the field. Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Dan Miller will lead a discussion with John Fulton, professor and extension specialist for Ohio State University; Seth Crawford, senior vice president and general manager for AGCO; and Taylor Nelson, owner and fifth-generation farmer at Nelson Farms, northeast Nebraska.

2. FINANCIAL FOCUS

Farmland underpins the financial security of many farming operations, but it's only one of the many variables we will discuss at length at the DTN Ag Summit.

Our keynote speaker, Farm Credit Services of America CEO Mark Jensen, will share his perspectives on where the risks and opportunities in agriculture lie, as well as how farmers and ranchers can position their businesses for success. We've also asked him to address how risk management has changed in the decades following the 1980s farm crisis.

Rabobank senior market strategies Christian Lawrence will look at the new, yet old world of interest rates. The Federal Reserve has committed to keeping interest rates where they are, or potentially raising them, as needed to combat inflation. After more than a decade of rates effectively near zero, managing the cost of money might feel new to some farmers. Those with longer careers may have managed rates like these before, but the expenses associated with planting and harvesting a crop today mean interest payments are larger than ever.

3. UNPARALLELED MARKET AND WEATHER FORECASTS

As a staple of our Ag Summit Series events, DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman and DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick will share their outlooks for 2024.

It's a split story in the grain markets, with comfortable corn stocks and tight bean supplies. Hultman will discuss what that could mean for acreage next spring, as well as how South American production could influence prices in the U.S.

Baranick's discussion will include DTN's propriety long-range forecasts for the U.S., so you can get an early look at likely conditions during spring planting. He'll also go into detail about how El Nino influences weather patterns, not only in the U.S. but also in Brazil and Argentina.

By the end of these two sessions, we hope you have enough information to round out your marketing plan for the upcoming year.

4. UPGRADED USER EXPERIENCE

For the past year, DTN has used a platform called Whova to broadcast our events. We wanted to provide a more user-friendly experience, so we decided to switch to Zoom.

Zoom offers all of the features we liked about Whova -- chat, Q&A, polling -- but in a platform that's easier to use. There's a lot to be said for simplicity and familiarity, and we hope you like that about our change.

The format of our time together won't change much. We'll mix longer sessions with shorter sessions, provide lots of opportunities for questions and host a special meeting-style session where attendees can debrief on the day's topics, discuss this year's crops and ask other questions.

We hope you like the change, and we're looking forward to seeing you there!

Register for the Ag Summit free here: https://dtn.link/…

You can see more about the Summit in this Reporter's Notebook video: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Katie Dehlinger can be reached at katie.dehlinger@dtn.com

Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @KatieD_DTN

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