Chippewa Valley Ag Conference Returns January 19

Local agriculture producers are encouraged to attend the Chippewa Valley Ag Conference, which will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, January 19 at Chippewa Valley Technical College’s Energy Education Center, 4000 Campus Road in Eau Claire. The full-day conference will feature two keynote addresses and a variety of breakout sessions on topics impactful for area ag operations.

Security Financial Bank (SFB) is very excited about the speaker lineup and the assortment of topics for this conference, indicated Jenny Jereczek, SFB’s director of agriculture banking.

“SFB plans this event each year to allow area ag producers an opportunity to connect with others in their industry and focus on the future of their operations,” Jereczek said. “We hope this full-day event continues to provide practical knowledge and strategies to take them into the New Year reenergized.”

Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) is co-hosting this event with SFB again this year.

“We have heard great feedback from our local ag producers on previous year’s events, and we are excited for the many tips, tools, and advice for ag producers in this year’s event,” said Mark Denk, a farm business instructor for CVTC. “We have a diverse collection of sessions for everyone to take away something valuable.”

The conference will kick off with a welcome keynote address from Hank Wagner, who owns and operates multiple businesses — including a fifth-generation dairy farm — and is a frequent motivational speaker across the country.

During the afternoon keynote session, ag commodities expert Shawn Hackett will discuss how weather and other factors are influencing global production and ag prices. A frequent contributor to Barron’s, Futures Magazine, Reuters, Bloomberg, U.S. Farm Report, Ag-TV, as well as a regular radio show contributor, Hackett has dedicated his life to educating ag industry leaders and farmers about financial risk management, hedging, and the utility of indicator-based ag commodity price forecasting tools.

Throughout the day, attendees also will have the opportunity to attend three separate breakout sessions. Topics include:

• Know Your Numbers by Cathy Asher, Security Financial Bank
• Corn and Soybean Market Situation and Outlook by Brenda Boetel, UW-River Falls
• Are You a Pro Cattle Feeder by Jeff Pastoor, Quality Liquid Feeds
• The Time is Right for a Succession Plan by Mykayla Dado and Amy Ebeling, Ruder Ware
• Solar Energy: How It Can Reduce Energy Costs by Michael Behringer, Olson Solar Energy
• How to Write a Nutrient Management Plan by Mark Denk, Chippewa Valley Technical College and Travis Drier of Dunn County Land Conservation
• How Much is Too Much? When Overcrowding is Profitable by Trent Dado and Caleb Burch, GPS Dairy Consulting
• Tax Law Updates Plus Effects on Farm Transition Planning by Jeff Poeschel, Sundstrom & Company
• How Technology is Affecting the Cropping Cycle by Kori Richter, Tractor Central
• 2023 Dairy Outlook — Much of the Same or Margin by Leonard Polzin, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension

The cost to attend is only $25 per person and includes lunch, both keynote sessions, and three different breakout sessions. To register, visit 2023CVAgConference.eventbrite.com. The registration deadline is January 11, 2023, but attendees are encouraged to register early as space is limited.

To download a conference brochure with a detailed description of each breakout session, CLICK HERE. For more information or questions, contact Becky Seelen, SFB director of marketing and corporate communications, at 715-930-7030 or bseelen@sfbank.com.

The conference is being presented by Chippewa Valley Technical College and Security Financial Bank along with GPS Dairy Consulting, Komro Sales, NAU Country Insurance Company, Olson Solar Energy, Quality Liquid Feeds, Ruder Ware, Sundstrom and Company, and Synergy Cooperative.