August 21

Ordinary to Extraordinary: The Little Difference that Brings Success 

Andrew McCrea, Keynote Speaker, Oscar-Winning TV & Radio Broadcaster 
Have you wondered what helps some people reach success time and time again, while others seem to stand in place. Research tells us that the most important factors in success are things so insignificant they are often overlooked. Let Andrew help you find the qualities that produce extraordinary results. 

The RFS, Renewable Diesel, SAF and the Future of Biofuels

Scott Irwin, Professor, University of Illinois College of Agricultural & Consumer Economics
Biofuels are an important driver of the profitability of the grain and oil sectors.  The renewable diesel boom has been front and center in recent years.  There is also a great deal of interest in SAF and how this might be the salvation for ethanol.  This session will discuss the renewable diesel boom and SAF and the potential for each one to continue lifting profitability going forward.  

Negotiating Solar & Wind Contracts for Illinois Landowners

Andrew G. White, Bellatti, Barton, Cochran & White, LLC
Landowners are being approached with offers to lease their land for wind turbines or solar panels. Learn how to better guide and assist your clients in making those decisions, and what to consider. From a legal perspective, what to cover before entering into any contract.

1. Identifying market value and leverage.
2. Narrowing down the footprint and property rights granted.
3. Interplay between contract terms, state/local rules, and AIMA.
4. Drainage, Compaction and Crop loss issues.
5. Protecting the “farmability” of the land.
6. Decommissioning and Cleanup.

The Top 7 Things You Don’t Want to Hear

Joseph P. Chamley, Attorney, Partner at Evans, Froehlich, Beth & Chamley

1. Your borrower doesn’t own anything.
2. The grain is gone and you did not send elevator letters.
3. The farm equipment is gone and the dealer never called you.
4. What do you mean “The farmer retired.”?
5. The Bankruptcy Trustee wants the money back.
6. Don’t worry, it’s just money.
7. Bad loans are made during good times!

August 22

High Impact Meteorology – Changes in Predictive Science

Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist at 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 the longer-range forecasts. We will talk about disruptive technologies in predictive analytics – like Artificial Intelligence. We will review the front half of the 2024 growing season and forecast the remainder of season. We will talk about the big seasonal drivers like El Niño and La Niña discuss the outlook for the next 3-9 months. We will finish with a discussion about the 2024-25 growing season in South America, which competes directly with major US commodity crops.

The Complexity of Crop Insurance Decision-Making

Dave Janson, President/Owner, Strategic Farm Marketing
This session will be a summary of the types of crop insurance options that are available – both from federally offered programs and privately offered products – and how layering these products can impact a producer’s profitability. This session will also cover how the farm bill could impact the producer’s future decision-making and will touch on the variability of hail, wind, and replant rates across each of the different insurance providers.

Illinois Farm Income and Financial Position Update

Nicholas Paulson, Professor, UofI College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
Brad Zwilling, VP of Data Analysis, Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM)
Lower commodity prices and higher production costs have created a margin squeeze after record incomes in 2022. This session will focus on the current financial position of Illinois grain farms and projections for farm income and returns in 2024 and 2025.

Credit Decisions in Uncomfortable Economic Times

Dr. David Kohl Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Agriculture & Applied Economics, Virginia Tech
High inflation, increasing interest rates and uncertain commodity prices are becoming a fact of life in the mid-2020s. The ever-present conflict in Europe and changes in geopolitical leadership and priorities often result in economics in extremes. We must also consider global weather patterns, uncertainty in trade and export markets as other factors that can quickly change a portfolio or individual customer’s situation.
This session will discuss the aforementioned factors and their impact on domestic and global economics. Time tested perspectives, tools and techniques will be interwoven that can proactively assist in your credit decision making process. This high energy webinar will provide answers to commonly asked questions about credit and financial decisions in the current environment.