2024 Kansas Ag Bankers Conference March 6-7, Manhattan Hilton Garden Inn This year’s event was a definite success! We had an exceptional line-up of presenters, 305 attendees and 22 tradeshow sponsors in attendance. Here are some of this year’s highlights! Dr. David Kohl, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech, AgriVisions Solutions, LLC Business and Economic Outlook Once again, the ever-popular Dr. David Kohl was the opening keynote speaker at this year’s Kansas Ag Bankers Conference! The economy, interest rates and input costs were a part of the conversation. KBA President & CEO Doug Wareham, Astra Bank and KAB Division President Mikel Hadacheck, and GNBank, N.A. and KBA Board Chairman Mark Schifferdecker presented Dr. David Kohl with KBA’s highest honor, the Flint Factor Award. Ed Elfmann, SVP of Agriculture and Rural Policy, American Bankers Association Federal Ag Policy Update ABA’s SVP of Agricultural & Rural Banking Ed Elfmann (left) and KBA’s President & CEO Doug Wareham (right) discuss current important federal ag policies, including Access to Credit for our Rural Economy Act, also known as ACRE. Ed thanked Kansas bankers for their involvement in sharing the importance of this bill with their constituents. H.R. 3139: ACRE Act of 2023 now has 56 co-sponsors. Jackson Takach, CFA, Farmer Mac Futureproofing Ag & Ag Lending Takach stressed that the combination of higher interest rates and inflation still does not put agriculture into the same scenario as in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A key difference now is that, largely, producers still have stronger income and cash on their balance sheets compared to the late 1970s. 10
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