The 2017 Beginning Farmers Conference will be held at the Scheman Building on the Iowa State University campus in Ames on Feb. 4. The event is hosted by the Beginning Farmers Network, an ISU student organization that offers practical knowledge and experiences to help young adults who are looking to pursue a career in production agriculture. BFN provides a way for these young people to meet and be encouraged by others with similar interests.

Once the student BFN members graduate from college, the organization provides these members with a network of individuals to correspond with and talk to about issues they are facing as young farmers.

“The Beginning Farmers Conference is geared specifically toward beginning farmers, but this year’s conference has sessions valuable to established farmers as well,” says Ryan Reimers, an ISU agronomy student from Denison and one of the conference organizers. This year’s conference has a lineup of relevant topics and interesting speakers.

Learn more about marketing, risk management
The event begins with registration from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Keynote speaker Ted Seifried, vice president and chief market strategist for Zaner Ag Hedge Group, is first on the program, speaking from 9 to 10 a.m. He will cover the importance of having a marketing strategy and a risk management plan for beginning producers. He will also provide a market outlook for the year ahead. Seifried, a market analyst, appears as a guest on various talk shows, including Ag Day, Market-to-Market, and on Market Rally Radio with Chip Flory.

Following the keynote presentation, breakout sessions will be held covering topics such as precision agriculture, farm credit and loan information, financial analysis for livestock, and an update on key international agriculture issues. Two breakout sessions are scheduled for the morning. Lunch is at noon, followed by a third breakout session from 1 to 1:45 p.m., and then the conference concludes.

Cost to attend the conference is $15 at the door, and lunch which will be provided. If you have questions, contact Ryan Reimers at [email protected] or 712-269-6637. Or contact BFN President Jamie Pudenz at [email protected] or 712-210-6609. Wallaces Farmer magazine is a media sponsor of the Beginning Farmer Conference.