Missouri agricultural lender seminar series to offer insights

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Lenders serving farmers and rural communities are invited to attend University of Missouri Extension’s 43rd Missouri Agricultural Lender Seminar series this fall in eight locations across the state.

Agricultural business and policy specialists and researchers will present market and policy outlooks, farm financial conditions and land values, said Ben Brown, MU Extension agricultural economist and series organizer.

Brown encourages both new and seasoned lenders to consider attending a seminar and gaining valuable insights to share with clients for the coming year.

Topics include:

• 2024 row crop and livestock commodity outlooks.
• Production costs and 2024 agricultural enterprise budgets.
• Program updates from the USDA Farm Service Agency and the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority.
• Update on local land values and cash rents.
• Outlook on farm policy and farm bill update.

In a press release, Brown said, “Market volatility on tight stocks and production concerns continue this year, but as the calendar turns to 2024, deteriorating farm financial conditions and a new farm bill present new management considerations. Data and information shared during this fall’s seminar series will help lenders and their clients make sense of key issues and ways to mitigate risk.”

In-person seminars will be held at eight locations in Missouri:

• Nov. 1. Owensville.
• Nov. 8. Brookfield.
• Nov. 15. West Plains.
• Nov. 29. Bolivar.
• Dec. 1. Warrensburg.
• Dec. 4. Bowling Green.
• Dec. 6. St. Joseph.
• Dec. 8. Cape Girardeau.

New this fall, a statewide online webinar series will be available to lenders who register for an in-person seminar. The webinar series will cover the macroeconomic outlook at the state and national levels, timely market news and pre-planting enterprise budget updates. Registered lenders will receive access to five webinars in early 2024 that can be shared with their clients.

Two additional webinars available to all stakeholders free of charge are scheduled for Oct. 4 and  Oct.18, 2023. The first will have outlooks for the macroeconomy; the second will look ahead to 2024 Missouri farm income.

Attending the Missouri Agricultural Lenders Seminar is a tradition for many, Brown said. One attendee who has participated in the annual series for almost 40 years says the seminar offers a “good update on the farm economy.” An attendee from the 2022 seminar series said attending is an “excellent way to stay in touch with the ag economy.”

Find location-specific details and registration links at https://fapri.missouri.edu/AgLenderSeminars.

For more information, contact Ben Brown at bpbrown@missouri.edu or 660-492-7574, or any MU Extension agricultural business and policy specialist.