Side by Side Conference

Why Attend Side by Side?

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Educational Sessions

A mix of mainstage speakers and small breakout sessions provides a tailored experience filled with practical information to take home.

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Inspirational Speakers

Finances, family discussions, the weather – it can all run together on the farm or ranch. At Side by Side, these and other topics are sources of inspiration for continual improvement.

Networking Opportunities

There are many reasons attendees ask to come back. Connections built through organized activities, hallway conversations and off-hour gatherings regularly top the list.

Join Waitlist

Conference Agenda

Explore the presentations and activities planned for the three-day conference. Agenda is subject to change.

1

5:30 p.m.
Registration and Social Hour

7:00 p.m.
Conference Kickoff and Dinner

8:15 p.m.
Producer Panel

2

8:00 a.m.
Breakfast

8:45 a.m.
General Session
Thriving in Economic Chaos, Dr. David Kohl
An unpredictable economic environment fostered by geopolitics and ongoing trade and capital wars woven with weather in extremes is having a significant impact on the future business of agriculture. While some hunker down in business survival mode, others quickly adapt to disruptions and capitalize on challenges.
This part of the program is designed to examine the state of agricultural domestic and global economics. Future mega trends of the industry and how they will impact success regardless of size, enterprise, and geographic location will be discussed. Dr. Kohl will bring his decades of experience as an award-winning educator, business owner, speaker and author to challenge the status quo of decision making. He will answer some of the most commonly asked questions as he engages with beginning farmers and ranchers nationwide.

10:15 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

11:30 a.m.
General Session
The Cost of Waiting, Lisa Quist
When is the best time to plan? Yesterday was the best; today is the next best. Procrastination risks your farm or ranch’s future for the next generation. Our session, “The Cost of Wating,” explains why “They can figure it out when I’m gone” is dangerous. We’ll show how early planning protects your business and ensures a smooth transition for all involved.

12:30 p.m.
Lunch

1:45 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

3:15 p.m.
General Session
High Impact Meteorology, Eric Snodgrass
Weather risk in production agriculture is ubiquitous and the successful execution of a crop plan requires accurate weather forecasting and analysis. We plan our operations based on weather averages and our experiences over recent growing seasons, but each year presents a new set of weather challenges. In this talk, we will focus on how to use the abundance of weather data to stay ahead of disruptive weather events.

4:15 p.m.
Wrap Up Day 2

6:00 p.m.
Dinner and Party on the Plaza

3

7:30 a.m.
Breakfast

8:15 a.m.
General Session
The Level 10 Life: Financial and Life Hacks for Success, Adam Carroll
On a day-by-day basis, we are bombarded by decisions, stresses, and to-dos. Many of them related to the business of farming, some of them related to raising kids, nearly ALL of them having something to do with money. In this interactive session, financial literacy expert Adam Carroll will share the keys to living your life at a Level 10.

9:30 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

11:00 a.m.
General Session
The Management Mindset of Business and Life, Dr. David Kohl
A special management mindset is critical in today’s fast paced and unpredictable environment. Dr. Kohl will present key strategies and actions that prioritize resilience, agility and nimbleness. Agricultural technology and innovation with a proactive approach can create opportunity in your business even with unpredictable markets, weather in extremes and changes in consumer demand. If you are interested in a session that is not only informative but also offers action steps peppered with wisdom that will influence your business, family and personal lives, then this session is for you!

12:00 p.m.
Wrap Up Conference and Lunch

Keynote Speakers

Conference Highlights

Our Side by Side conference equips young and beginning producers with the information they need to make the right decisions for their operations. Watch the highlights from previous Side by Side conferences.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

There are typically three main reasons our customers choose to accept the invitation to attend this conference, and they happen to be the three areas that this conference is best-in-class:

Networking – this conference plays host to an incredible group of young farmers, ranchers and agribusiness owners who are eager to meet their peers, share stories, and learn from each other.
Learning – we’ve brought together some of our industry’s best thought leaders. Past attendees have consistently rated these engaging and useful sessions as some of the best they have attended.
The Right Mix – while we may pack a lot into the conference agenda, we make sure that we have plenty of food and fun to go with it.

So here’s our commitment to you: If you attend this conference, you will learn something that will change the way you do business; you will meet some folks from another operation that you will continue to stay in touch with for years to come; and you’ll have some great food, drink and fun with some truly amazing people.

2

We’ve designed this conference for our young and/or beginning customers who have a strong business sense and who appreciate the value of education and networking. Our lending teams from across our five-state territories select operations to attend.

3

Typically, attendees are husband and wife, siblings, or close relatives that work with the same operation. There are also several participants that attend by themselves or invite a friend from a neighboring operation to attend. Feel free to talk with your retail team if you have a unique circumstance. Please note that each selected operation is provided with one hotel room. If you have a situation where you need more than one room, we can work with you to coordinate with the hotel.

4

Farm Credit Services of America and Frontier Farm Credit will provide your room, food and other accommodations while you are at the conference. Your travel to and from the conference is your responsibility.

5

We are inviting more than 100 different operations from Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming to attend the conference. These are young farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness owners who all share in the excitement to spend time with ag industry experts and other producers who face similar challenges. In addition to the attendees, there are industry professionals that will be presenting and our Side by Side team, who help coordinate and run the conference. Other FCSAmerica and Frontier Farm Credit staff, along with Board members, attend on a limited basis.

6

We want the producers who attend this conference to be able to focus on the learning and networking opportunities that are provided and to be able to give their full attention to the planned activities. Furthermore, we do not have any accommodations or activities planned for our customer’s children. For these reasons, we recommend that your children do not attend. Contact us at SideBySide@FCSAmerica.com with any questions or if you have extenuating circumstances.

Are you interested in attending Side by Side?

We are accepting requests from young and/or beginning producers in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Wyoming to join our waitlist.

Fill out the information below and one of our team members will reach out.