Press Release

The South Dakota Soybean Association (SDSA) invites farmers to look to the future at the Twelfth Annual AgOutlook Conference & Trade Show on December 8 at the Ramkota Exhibit Hall in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Registration is required for the free, one-day conference and trade show. Register online at www.sdsoybean.org or call the South Dakota Soybean Office at 605.330.9942. Registration is also available at the door.

The event kicks-off at 9:30 a.m. with the opening of the Trade Show Floor. With more than 60 exhibitors, farmers will have the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and learn about emerging trends.

The event also features the following educational sessions and notable speakers on some of the most important topics impacting agriculture right now. View the full agenda here.

Sue Martin, Senior Market Analyst — 10:30 a.m.
The Forecast is Partly Cloudy—Why Not Partly Sunny?
Sue Martin is the president of Ag & Investment Services, a full-service brokerage firm and managing partner of Futures Cash Info, an analytical consulting firm. Ever hear the forecast calling for “partly cloudy?” Why not “partly sunny?” Is the glass half empty or half full? Martin’s presentation will focus on the outlook for the year ahead with a bit of optimism co-mingled with reality. After a long stretch of years with strong prices, 2016 did give farmers a challenge. Martin says there are always opportunities in any year, it just depends on the timing. Global and domestic production, foreign currency rates and weather trends will play a role in giving farmers profitable opportunities.

Bill Kirk, CEO and Co-Founder of Weather Trends International— 1 p.m.
Year-Ahead Weather Forecasting and the 2017 Crop Outlook
Bill Kirk is the CEO and co-founder of Weather Trends International. He has 27 years of experience with a contagious passion for applying year-ahead business weather guidance and predictive analytics to help Fortune 1,000 companies achieve Better Business in any Weather®. Kirk will discuss how year-ahead forecasting technology for temperatures and precipitation is very different and more accurate than traditional short-range 14-day physics based meteorology. In addition, we’ll demonstrate how Fortune 500 companies and thousands of farmers apply this technology to achieve better business results.

John Phipps, Commentator for U.S. Farm Report — 3 p.m.
What Could Possibly Go Right?
John Phipps is the former host for the “U.S. Farm Report,” and now provides weekly commentary from his farm. The ag outlook looks grim, and the competition is on to predict how much worse it will get. History suggests this is normal for economic downturns. This presentation will try to separate the probabilities from the pessimism, confront the issues we should be paying attention to, and rank the real threats to operations. With humor, data and anecdote, Phipps will suggest ways we can fortify our decision-making to match the challenge. Farmers may not be able to change soybean prices, but they can adjust their responses.

Speakers for the Twelfth Annual AgOutlook Conference and Tradeshow are sponsored by the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. For more information about the Twelfth Annual AgOutlook Conference and Tradeshow, visit www.sdsoybean.org.

Contact:
Sarah Tveidt, Communications Director
605.330.9942 | seven@sdsoybean.org