Top Farmer Conference: January 10, 2025

As one of the most successful and longest-running management programs specifically crafted for farmers, the Purdue Top Farmer Conference is a one-day event for agricultural producers and agribusiness professionals looking to navigate the complexities of today's agricultural landscape. Participants will have the opportunity to network with peers and hear from farm management experts and agricultural economists from Purdue, Farm Credit Services of America, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Acres, a land value data analytics company.

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business planning

Positioning Your Farm for Long-Term Success | Commodity Classic 2024

The list of risks U.S. farmers face is long, ranging from market volatility and supply chain disruptions to erratic weather. Preparing for it all can be overwhelming and seem impossible at times. Being successful in the long run requires sorting out risks and developing strategies to manage and mitigate them. Purdue ag economists James Mintert, Michael Langemeier, & Brady Brewer shared ways in which successful farms manage strategic risks live from Houston, Texas at the 2024 Commodity Classic Learning Center Session on February 29, 2024.

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Contingency Planning with Cash Flow Shortages

Contingency plans related to how to respond to changes in projected cash flows are also important. Given the expected drop in crop prices this fall, it would be prudent for a farm to examine the sensitivity of their cash flow and repayment capacity to changes in crop prices.

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Financial & Risk Management Strategies for 2023 at Commodity Classic

Purdue ag economists James Mintert & Michael Langemeier shared key lessons from 2022 and help producers plan for the financial and risk management realities of 2023. Live from Orlando, Florida at the 2023 Commodity Classic Learning Center Session on March 9, 2023.

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Financial Risk Management & Contingency Planning

Farming is never the same from year to year – sometimes prices are good, net farm income is high, and other times margins are tight. Planning ahead, or contingency planning for financial hardship is important for any farm operation. How to evaluate farm financials, update financial statements, analyze performance, and when borrowing makes sense.

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Marketing Risk Management & Contingency Planning

Product, price, place, and promotion are important in marketing to current and potential buyers. In this episode, a continuation of the Farm Risk Management podcast series, Ariana Torres, Renee Wiatt, and Jenna Nees join Brady Brewer to discuss contingency planning for marketing risk management. 

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Social Media Risk Management & Contingency Planning

Farms and agribusinesses are confronted by many different types of risk in today’s market, including social media. In this third episode in the Farm Risk Management podcast series, Purdue University’s Jenna Nees, Renee Wiatt and Ariana Torres join Brady Brewer to discuss social media’s impact on businesses and how to build a contingency plan to protect your farm.

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Production Risk Management & Contingency Planning

In this second episode of a new series on Farm Risk Management, Jenna Nees, Ed Farris, and Michael Langemeier join Brady Brewer to discuss contingency planning for production risk. Minimizing risk through management practices, reducing production variability, and managing ways to transfer some of the production risk should be reevaluated every year. Implementing diversification, flexibility,…

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Human Resource Risk Management & Contingency Planning

Farms and agribusinesses are confronted by many different types of risk, but consideration to human resource risk is overlooked by far too many. If critical functions cannot be completed due to a death, disability, disaster, divorce, or disagreement the farm business cannot operate at full efficiency. One way to combat HR risk is by writing…

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10 Tips for Communication in Your Farm Business

On this episode Purdue ag economist Brady Brewer hosts a discussion that will provide you with 10 tips for better communication within your farm business. Joining Dr. Brewer is Family Business Management Specialist Renee Wiatt, Extension Area XI Director Kelly Heckaman, and Fayette County ANR Educator Heather Caldwell. 

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Farm Success and Technology Adoption

Farm Success and Technology Adoption slidedeck presentation by Michael Langemeier given in Rosario Argentina on August 11, 2022.

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