FARMFEST FEATURE FORUMS FOR 2021
Wick Buildings FARMFEST Center, Gilfillan, MN
Tuesday, August 3:
9:00 AM — “Investing off the Farm” (Sponsored by Farm Bureau Financial Services)
Jeff Mahoney and Matt Wojaick, Wealth Management Advisors
10:30 AM — “U.S. Ag Policy at the Crossroads … Where do we go from here ?”
Moderator ——— Blois Olson, WCCO Radio and Fluence Media
Panel Members — Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach
Congressman Jim Hagedorn
Congressman Tom Emmer
Bill Northey, Former USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture
Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau
Rob Larew, President, National Farmers Union
Bill Gordon, Chair of the Board, American Soybean Assn.
Dave Preisler, CEO, MN Pork Producers Assn.
12:00 PM — Linder Farm Network Noon Show
1:15 PM — “Agriculture’s Role in Carbon Sequestration”
Moderator ——— Jerry Groskruetz, KDHL Farm Director
Panel Members —- Thom Petersen, Commissioner, MN Dept. of Agriculture
Jason Weller, Vice President of Truterra with Land O’Lakes
Kris Johnson, Interim Ag Director, The Nature Conservancy
Tim Palmer, Iowa Farmer and Immediate Past-President of NACD
Brian Ryberg, American Soybean Assn. Conservation Legacy Award Winner
John Reed, Beef Producer, Brooten, MN
Steve Commerford, Commerford Agronomics Inc., New Ulm, MN
3:00 PM — “What You Should Know About Alternative Grain Contracts” (Sponsored by CHS)
Kent Beadle, CHS Hedging
Wednesday, August 4:
8:00–10:00 AM — “Minnesota Farm Bureau Pancake Breakfast”
8:30 AM — “Ag Outlook Forum …… Markets, Weather, Crops and More”
Moderators ——– Lynn Ketelsen, Linder Farm Network and Kent Thiesse
Panel Members — Jim Emter, Grain Marketing Analyst, Van Ahn & Company
Mark Schultz, Grain Marketing Analyst, Northstar Commodities
Dave Nicolai, U of M Crops & Soils Educator
David Bau, U of M Farm Management Educator
Dan Lemke, Linder Farm Network Weather Specialist
10:30 AM — “Designing the Ideal Farm Bill in a Changing World”
Moderator ——— Mark Dorenkamp, MN Anchor, Brownfield Ag News
Panel Members —- Collin Peterson, Former Chair of the U.S. House Ag Committee
Don Schiefelbein, Incoming President, National Cattleman’s Beef Assn.
Tom Haag, Vice President, National Corn Growers Assn.
Kevin Paap, President, MN Farm Bureau
Gary Wertish, President, MN Farmers Union
Lucas Sjostrom, Executive Director, MN Milk Producers Assn.
Mike Yost, Farm Owner, Murdock, MN
Wednesday, August 4 (cont.):
12:00 PM — Linder Farm Network Noon Show
1:10 PM — Keynote Address by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Invited)
1:15 PM — “Rural Resiliency … Redesigning the U.S. Energy System”
Moderator ——— Don Wick, Farm Director, Red River Farm Network
Panel Members — Congresswoman Angie Craig
Grace Arnold, MN Commissioner of Commerce
Sen. Gary Dahms, State Senator from Redwood Falls, MN
Tim Waibel, President, MN Corn Growers Assn.
Bob Worth, Board Member, MN Soybean Growers Assn.
Cliff Kaehler, CEO, Novel Energy Solutions
3:00 PM — “What’s Going on in the Farm Estate Planning and Business
Planning World ?” (Sponsored by AgCountry Farm Credit Services)
Bobbi Sondreal, Consultant, Succession and Retirement Planning
Thursday, August 5:
10:00 AM — “Women in Ag Forum”
Featuring the naming of the 2021 “Farmfest Women Farmer of the Year”
Sponsored by the AgCountry, CHS, Earth Scout, Ziegler Ag Equipment, U of M Water
Quality Certification Program and IDEAg
Moderator ——— Sarah Kuschel, 2020 Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year
Panel Members — Julie Tesch, President & CEO of the Center for Rural Policy
Sara Hewitt, Owner of Maple Wood Farms, Faribault, MN
Carolyn Olson, Owner of Olson Organics, Cottonwood, MN
Corey Ramsden Scott, Senior Transformation Manager, Land O’Lakes
12:00 PM — Linder Farm Network Noon Show
1:15 PM — “Farm Family of the Year” Recognition Program
Welcome Address by Joan Gabel, University of Minnesota President
Recognizing over 80 Minnesota County “Farm Families of the Year”
*** Sponsored by the University of Minnesota and IDEAg Group, LLC ***
For More Information Contact: Kent Thiesse, FARMFEST Educational Forum Coordinator
Phone — (507) 381-7960
E-mail — kent.thiesse@minnstarbank.com