MENDOTA – First State Bank announces a special conference for area farmers. The 25th Annual First State Bank Ag Conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Mendota Civic Center.
Starting the program will be Kelly Jackson Hardy, Principal, Clifton Larson Allen. She serves client needs related to tax consulting, planning and compliance. She serves primarily the agribusiness industry and cooperatives. She comes from a farm background and understands the nuances of agriculture. Her talk will focus on the areas of ag taxation and farm succession planning.
Following Jackson Hardy will be Kurtis Wujek. Wujek is the Trading Director for Export Corn at Archer Daniels Midland Company. His main responsibilities include the execution and risk management of ADM’s North American export program thru New Orleans, La.
This year’s keynote speaker, Delaney Howell, will take a deep dive into the issues impacting the business of agriculture. Howell grew up on a grain and livestock farm in Southeast Iowa and has been involved in agriculture from a very young age. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Sciences and minors in Broadcasting and International Studies from Northwest Missouri State University and a Master’s in Agricultural Communications through Texas Tech University.
Howell strives to bring the most up to date information on the latest “news cycle” in DC politics, commodity markets, and the international agricultural scene through her travels to 23 countries. You may recognize Delaney from her role as former host of the 45-year-old agribusiness show “Market to Market” or from her daily podcast she launched in 2017, Ag New Daily. Day to day, she is the face of an ag marketing company out of Des Moines, Iowa, called Trader PhD, offering advisory services to farmers and ranchers across the U.S.
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and the first speaker will begin at 10 a.m. First State Insurance will be supplying coffee and donuts. ADM Grain Company and Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance are generously sponsoring the noon luncheon. Clifton Larson Allen is sponsoring the soda.
Door prizes are being provided by several area businesses including: Beck Oil Co., Cantlin Law Firm, Chris Eller – the Retirement Specialists, Dinges Fire Company, Earlville Farmers Coop, Guilfoyle & Stevenson Law Firm, Hornung Tiling, Inc., Foster’s Tax & Accounting, LLC., Leffelman & Associates, Leone Grain & Supply, Maplehurst Farms, Mendota Mutual Insurance, Meriden Grain-Pioneer Seed, Northern Partners Cooperative, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Prescott Brothers Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Schimmer Automotive Group, Sublette Farmers Elevator Co., Sublette Mechanical, Troy Grove Coop, Vaessen Bros. Chevrolet, Vaessen Implement & Repair, and West Brooklyn Farmers Coop.
To reserve a seat at the conference, contact the First State Bank Ag Department by calling 815.539.3834 by Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
