The SDBA will present the 2018 Agricultural Credit Conference April 11-13 at the Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center in Pierre. This conference focuses on the unique needs of ag bankers and the need for quality information and training to better serve their customers. The SDBA has lined up speakers on a variety of timely topics to help ag bankers navigate through challenging times. Experienced and new ag lenders, as well as CEOs, will all benefit from this conference.

The event will kick off Wednesday afternoon with a pre-conference session by Farmer Mac titled "Winning Secondary Market Strategies for South Dakota Ag Bankers." Learn about Farmer Mac’s ag lender tools available to compete and attract new business. Farmer Mac will also review the current  interest rate environment and dive into some recent South Dakota loan sale transactions. 

Conference sessions include "Profitability Through Execution: The Fundamentals" by Dr. Mike Swanson, "Ag Banking in the Push-Pull Farm Economy" by John Blanchfield, "Surviving Difficult Markets" by Steven Knuth and "Managing Weather Risk in Agriculture" by Eric Snodgrass. The conference will also include three panel discussions titled "A Conversation About Conversations," "Succession Planning: Building Bridges or Burning Bridges?" and "Buy Land, They're Not Making It Anymore." Peterson Farm Bros will close the conference with "I'm Farming and I Grow It: An AgVocating Success Story."

• See the full conference agenda and register to attend. 
• Register for Farmer Mac's pre-conference session. 
• Learn about exhibit and sponsor opportunities.