2026 Purdue Top Farmer Conference

The Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture welcomed over 200 farmers and agribusiness professionals to the 2026 Purdue Top Farmer Conference on Friday, January 9th. The annual farm management conference provided a great networking opportunity for top producers and industry professionals. The 2026 conference was offered in a hybrid format, and attendance was split with approximately half of the participants attending in person at Purdue’s Beck Agricultural Center while remaining attendees from 26 different states/provinces joined remotely via Zoom. This year’s agenda featured sessions focused on global competitiveness, tariffs, and long-run market outlooks.

Ben Brown, senior research associate with the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, shared his long-term outlook for corn and soybean markets. An expert in agricultural policy and market analysis, Brown discussed key factors shaping crop prices, global demand and how future farm programs may impact producers in the years ahead.

Russell Hillberry, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue and former economist with the U.S. International Trade Commission and the World Bank, examined how recent U.S. tariff increases and retaliatory actions have affected domestic agricultural exports. Hillberry explored the implications of higher trade barriers for crop producers, particularly those in export-oriented sectors such as soybeans.

Following lunch, Joana Colussi, research assistant professor of agricultural economics at Purdue, drew on their work with agri benchmark, an international network that compares production costs and returns for major agricultural commodities worldwide. She compared production costs and returns across agricultural regions, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Ukraine and the U.S. to provide insights into the evolving competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.

Trey Malone, associate professor of agricultural economics and the Boehlje Chair for Managerial Economics in Agribusiness at Purdue, introduced “option thinking,” a mindset drawn from business strategy and innovation management that helps farmers make incremental decisions today while keeping flexibility for the future. His session assisted participants in identifying opportunities and adapting to uncertainty in a changing market environment.

The conference concluded with an expert panel featuring Michael Langemeier and Purdue agronomy faculty members Dan Quinn and Shaun Casteel, who will provide actionable approaches to help reduce costs per bushel in 2026.

Photos by Morgan French and Eric Robinson.