First State Bank sets annual Agriculture Business Conference

Local meteorologist among speakers at Jan. 27 event

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Posted 1/11/22

MENDOTA – First State Bank, Mendota, announces a special conference for area farmers. The 22nd Annual First State Bank Ag Conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 at the Mendota Civic Center.

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First State Bank sets annual Agriculture Business Conference

Local meteorologist among speakers at Jan. 27 event

Posted

MENDOTA – First State Bank, Mendota, announces a special conference for area farmers. The 22nd Annual First State Bank Ag Conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 at the Mendota Civic Center.

Starting the program will be Matt Friedlein. A Mendota native, Friedlein is a meteorologist of 18 years with the National Weather Service. He has worked at offices in Paducah, Ky., Minneapolis, Minn., and for the past 10 years as a lead forecaster at the Chicago office located in Romeoville.

Following Friedlein will be Mark Schweitzer. Schweitzer is VP Economic Research for Archer Daniels Midland. He works with ADM business leaders to provide economic and market intelligence, and tools that enable better business and risk-management decision making. With a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University, Schweitzer’s passion is helping develop the next generation of leaders through the FFA.

The conference’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Matt Roberts. Commodity broker turned professor, turned entrepreneur, turned speaker, Roberts has shared his outlook on grain, energy and macro markets over 600 times around the country since starting at Ohio State in 2001.

Roberts is a native of Bolivar, Mo., where he grew up in the markets, opening his first online trading account in 1986, trading stocks from the back room of the family Chevrolet dealership.  By 1996, Roberts was a commodity and energy derivatives broker in the Vienna, Austria office of CA Global Futures. He has traded or brokered almost everything, from azuki beans to Waste Management shares – stocks, bonds, futures, options, and over-the-counter derivatives.

Area farmers are encouraged to contact First State Bank at 815.539.3834 prior to Saturday, Jan. 22 to confirm reservations for the event. ADM Grain Company, Mendota, and Prairie State Tractor, Mendota, will serve as major co-sponsors of this event and will provide lunch for all those in attendance. First State Insurance will be sponsoring the morning coffee and donuts.

Door prizes are being provided by several area businesses including: Beck Oil Co., Cantlin Law Firm, Chris Eller – the Retirement Specialists, Country Village Meats, Crop Productions Services, Dinges Fire Company, Earlville Farmers Coop, Guilfoyle Law Firm, Hornung Tiling, Inc., Foster’s Tax & Accounting, LLC., Leffelman & Associates, Leone Polaris, Maplehurst Farms, Mendota Mutual Insurance, Meriden Grain-Pioneer Seed, Northern Partners Cooperative, Pioneer Seed Sales-Rodney Rod, Prescott Bros. Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Schimmer Automotive Group, Sublette Farmers Elevator Co., Sublette Mechanical, Troy Grove Elevator, Vaessen Bros. Chevrolet, Vaessen Implement & Repair, and West Brooklyn Farmers Coop.