Maintaining and strengthening farm finances in today’s difficult ag economy will be a key focus of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s (IFBF) 2019 Economic Summit, which will be held June 28 in Des Moines.

“We’ve now been through a long period of market challenges, and that’s adversely affecting many farmers’ financial positions,” said Sam Funk, IFBF senior economist. “At the economic summit, we’ll have experts to help farmers understand what characteristics lenders are looking for today, tactics that farmers can use to shore up balance sheets and overall trends in land prices and rental rates.”

The IFBF Economic Summit, Funk said, is designed to equip farmers with the financial information they need to make better and more informed decisions.

“We will be able to hear from those directly involved with these financial issues, like Jim Knuth of Farm Credit Services and David Muth of Peoples Co. and others,” he said. “The summit will be an excellent opportunity to take advantage of their expertise.”

The 2019 IFBF Economic Summit will be held at the Des Moines Marriott-Downtown, beginning with registration at 7:30 a.m. on June 28.

Pre-registration for the event, which includes access to all presentations and lunch, is $30 for Farm Bureau members and $150 for non-members before June 19. At the door, the cost is $60 for members and $150 for non-members.

Visit  www.iowafarmbureau.com/economicsummit or contact Lavonne Baldwin at 515-225-5633 or at lbaldwin@ifbf.org.