The Northwest Farm Managers Association will hold its 102nd annual meeting for producers and others interested in agriculture on Feb. 2 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo.
Presentations will focus on organizing and managing farm businesses, grain markets and crop insurance, and managing wet ground.
A featured speaker will be Dick Witteman of Culdesac, Idaho. Witteman is past president of the Farm Financial Standards Council and USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council. He worked for the Farm Credit Administration in Washing¬ton, D.C., where he supervised Farm Credit operations in 17 states. At present, he is a farmer, consultant and faculty member for The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers at Texas A and M in Austin.
"Through years of consulting and managing a large farm, he has found that business practices and relationship problems, not economic issues, often are the reason family operations dissolve," says Andy Swenson, North Dakota State University farm management specialist and one of the event organizers. "He will provide a step-by-step process for building an effective farm management system and highlight the hidden landmines that derail farm operations."
Art Barnaby, Kansas State University, will explain what's new in crop insurance and strategies for risk management. Barnaby has worked on crop insurance issues with the private crop insurance industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency and farm commodity groups. His research was the basis for the first revenue crop insurance contract called Crop Revenue Coverage.
Gabe Brown, Bismarck, and Jeremy Wilson, Jamestown, are producers who will share their production practices that fully utilize soil moisture and build soil health. These practices may be useful for producers who have been struggling with wet soils and prevented planting situations.
Mike Kvistad, Jamestown, Ind., will discuss current global economic considerations, grain and oilseed markets, and structural considerations evolving in areas of producer grain marketing. Kvistad was manager of Country Hedging, a subsidiary of CHS Inc., and president of Benson-Quinn Commodities Inc. He also was grain marketing services director for ADM Grain Group in Decatur, Ill. He continues to be a consultant for ADM and other companies.
The meeting is organized for the public and all are welcome. Registration begins at 8 a.m., followed by the start of the meeting at 9 a.m. The fee for attending is $40, which is payable at the door. The fee includes a noon meal and breaks. For more information, call (701) 231-7393.
