National experts tapped to help farmers and ag leaders navigate market volatility 

Generations ago, a farmer’s success relied largely on favorable weather in growing season and access to good roads to move crops and livestock.  Today’s farmers face tighter margins and far wider threats, including uncertainties over trade, the threat of European Union collapse and weather-driven disasters that impact markets a half-world away.

“That’s why strategies for successfully managing operating and marketing margins will be top of mind for Iowa farmers at the 2016 Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit titled; ‘Buckle Up for the Bumpy Ride,’” said Dave Miller, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s (IFBF) director of research and commodity services.  The June 27 summit, to be held in West Des Moines, will feature the nation’s leading trade, political and marketing experts to help Iowa farmers manage risks, not just today, but over the next several years.   

“Farmers just have more cash on the line than ever before with high prices for land, rent and all production inputs,” Miller says.  The hot topic of margin management, featuring Iowa State University (ISU) economist Chad Hart, is on the agenda, as are perspectives from other national leading ag lenders and economists such as Dan Mitchell with the Cato Institute and Nathan Kaufmann with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. 

The summit begins at 7:30 a.m. at IFBF headquarters at 5400 University Avenue in West Des Moines.  Registration is $100 per person.  Information on registration and the agenda schedule can be found online at https://www.iowafarmbureau.com/News/2016-Economic-Summit or by calling 515-225-5633 or this email address lbaldwin@ifbf.org. Media interested in attending may register with Kim Firebaugh at kfirebaugh@ifbf.org.