Helping Ag Bankers Stay Ahead of Industry Challenges
Across Wisconsin, agricultural bankers are seeing monumental changes both throughout the banking industry and within the farming communities they serve. To assist bankers in preparing for the many conversations beyond the traditional discussions of financing, the Wisconsin Bankers Association’s (WBA) Agricultural Bankers Section is excited to announce the WBA Agricultural Bankers Conference this spring!
Each year, more than 125 ag bankers from across the state come together for the two-day event featuring over seven hours of presentations, the opportunity to network with peers, and exhibitors offering products and services geared specifically at ag banking.
The 2023 conference will kick off on April 13 with an update from Eric Snodgrass of Nutrien Ag Solutions. Snodgrass, a science fellow and principal atmospheric scientist, will provide a weather update that focuses on how high-impact weather events influence global agriculture productivity. His current research uses machine learning to better understand field-level weather impacts on yields in the U.S. and to increase confidence in long-range weather prediction.
Throughout the first day, ag bankers will have the chance to network with peers from across the state and hear from several other speakers Leonard Polzin from the University of Wisconsin Madison and Edwin Elfmann of the American Bankers Association (ABA).
The following day, April 14, attendees will reconvene for a keynote session by Dr. David Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.
During his engaging presentation, ag bankers will gain strategies and actions to utilize in positioning their local agricultural businesses to take advantage of opportunities and negate adversity. Dr. Kohl highlights that a few key takeaways from his presentation include the business IQ assessment, financial ratio benchmarking tools, and non-financial factors that bankers can apply as they work with their customers.
Following the keynote, Dr. Kohl will hold a Q&A session to provide attendees with insight, best practices, and outlooks for the upcoming year ahead.
“In this fast-paced world, I encourage agricultural bankers to attend this year’s WBA Agricultural Banking Conference to be informed, network, and learn strategies that can help them take action,” says Dr. Kohl. “The current environment of volatility, higher interest rates, and inflation mean that bankers need to be prepared to work side by side with their borrowers to assess risk and help ensure adequate liquidity to weather adversity.”
Interested in attending and joining ag bankers from across the state this April 13–14? Visit wisbank.com/ag to learn more and register today!
