Wyoming Bankers Association

presents

2015 AGRICULTURAL

BANKERS

CONFERENCE

May 14-15, 2015 (Thursday - Friday)

Jeffrey Memorial Community Center 315 West Pine Street Rawlins, Wyoming

Golf Tournament Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - Rochelle Ranch Golf Course,

2808 E. Rochelle Drive - 12:00 p.m. start. See Registration Form.

Thursday, May 14, 2015 - JEFFREY MEMORIAL COMMUNITY CENTER

7:15 a.m. Registration & Continental Breakfast

7:45 a.m. Welcome Remarks

WBA Ag Committee Chairman: Stephanie Arnold, Bank of Commerce, Rawlins

(Invited) WBA President, Gregg Jones, Branch President, Jonah Bank of Wyoming, Cheyenne

8:00 –10:00 a.m. “What's Driving Agriculture in the Year Ahead” Get ready to laugh and learn with Mike Pearson as he takes you on an entertaining journey – a look ahead at

the outlook for the farm markets—and global trends impacting these markets.

Farmer, banker, and Market To Market host Mike Pearson keeps viewers informed as host of the

"Weekly Journal of Rural America."

Mike grew up on a farm in central Iowa, where they raise grain and livestock.

Mike Pearson, Host

Market to Market, Des Moines, Iowa

10:00 -10:30 a.m. Refreshment Break - Sponsored by Central States of Omaha

10:30 -11:30 a.m. “Agricultural Commodities Price Outlook”

Emphasis will be placed on major factors in the cattle, sheep and hay markets. What is happening with

domestic supply? What are current demand conditions? How are export markets impacting prices? What is

the price outlook for the remainder of 2015? Other ag commodities may be addressed but with less detail.

Dillon Feuz, Professor

Applied Economics, Utah State University, Logan UT

11:30 -12:00 noon “Exhibitor Introductions”

12:00 noon Lunch - Sponsored by Farmer Mac - Washington, D.C.

Luncheon Speaker: “Spring/Summer Outlook 2015”

Don will take a look at long range weather trends for Spring/Summer 2015 for Wyoming and the region.

Don Day, Jr., President & Meteorologist

DayWeather, Inc., Cheyenne, WY

1:30 - 2:30 p.m. “Managing Molecular Assets - by the Barrel”

At the Sinclair Wyoming Refining Company (SWRC), we convert Wyoming crude and Canadian crude

oils into 3,000,000 gallons of gasoline, jet and diesel fuels each day. Ray Hansen will give an overview

of how crude oil is processed, how finished fuels are manufactured and distributed, and the challenging

changes in the refining industry. In addition, the company vision and values for operating the modern and

complex Sinclair oil refinery will be discussed.

Ray Hansen, Engineering and Technical Services Manager

Sinclair Wyoming Refining Company, Rawlins, WY

3:00 - 4:15 p.m. Tour the Wyoming Frontier Prison We will have an one hour guided tour of the Wyoming Frontier Prison; the operating state penitentiary from

1901-1981. Enjoy the broad history of this 49.5 acre site, coupled with stories of the infamous characters

once housed within the impressive structures. Warm dress and comfortable shoes recommended. Pre-

registration required—see registration form.

The Wyoming Frontier Prison is located at 500 West Walnut in Rawlins — less than 5 minutes from

the Jeffrey Center. A small parking lot is available as well as parking on the street.

5:30 - 8:00 p.m. RECEPTION & DINNER - JEFFREY MEMORIAL COMMUNITY CENTER

Dinner Sponsored by: Kansas Bankers Surety Co., Topeka, KS

Friday, May 15, 2015 - JEFFREY MEMORIAL COMMUNITY CENTER

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Breakfast Buffet - Sponsored By Bankers' Bank of the West, Denver, CO

8:00 - 8:30 a.m. “History of the wild horse and burro program, laws, and current management”

Benjamin Smith, Wild Horse & Burro Specialist BLM, Rawlins, WY

8:30 - 10:00 a.m. “The Three Secrets For Increasing Profit” There are three issues when it comes to money: economics, finance and taxes. In economics we ask “is it profitable.” In finance we ask, “can I afford to do it?” With taxes we ask, “How can I minimize them.” Unfortunately most people ask these questions in the wrong order, starting with taxes and ending with profit. As a result most ranches have only survived because of the internal subsidies that ranchers have made (and continue to make) to their operations (off-farm jobs, free family labor, inherited wealth, etc.). In this program the audience will build a profita- ble livestock business from scratch and discover that there are only three ways that any business can increase profit. They will be introduced to benchmarks that show which of these three secrets is the key to increasing profit for a client’s ranch.

David Pratt, Owner/President Ranch Management Consultants, Inc., Fairfield, CA

10:00 - 10:15 a.m. Refreshment Break -Sponsored By Central States of Omaha

10:15 - 10:45 a.m. “Creating Responsible Renewable Energy Solutions”

Power Company of Wyoming LLC is developing the state’s largest wind energy project, to be located on a Carbon County ranch, and TransWest Express LLC is developing a regional trans- mission line to strengthen the western grid and increase renewable power purchases from our state. Learn more about these companies’ efforts to invest in and expand Wyoming’s energy business portfolio.

Kara Choquette, Director of Communications Power Company of Wyoming, LLC & TransWest Express LLC, Denver CO

10:45 - 12:00 noon “2015: Finding the New, New Normal in Agriculture”

American agriculture has enjoyed a great run for the past decade, if not longer. Now, we are seeing signs that the great agriculture boom of the 2000s is running out of gas. Where does that leave ag bankers? Is the newly passed Farm Bill the right policy to meet the needs of farmers and ultimately their bankers? How will the changes in the Congress last fall impact the roll-out of the legislation? Is USDA up to the task before it? John Blanchfield has spent the past 25 years in Washington on the cutting edge of farm and ag banking policy. He returns to our conference this year with a fresh perspective, a new outlook on the policy machine in Washing- ton, and a renewed focus on what bankers need to do now to adjust to the new, new normal in agriculture.

John Blanchfield, President

Agricultural Banking Advisory Services, Washington, DC

Vice Chair: Ty Krell, Sundance State Bank Connie Clark, ANB Bank-Worland Steve Feagler, First State Bank-Torrington Keith Geis, Platte Valley Bank-Wheatland Ken King, First Interstate Bank-Riverton

Mike Morrison, First State Bank-Newcastle Marlin Norling, First Interstate Bank-Sheridan Dusty Porter, Jonah Bank-Casper Brett Malm, Platte Valley Bank-Torrington

2014-15 Ag Committee

Chairman: Stephanie Arnold, Bank of Commerce-Rawlins

Sponsors & Exhibitors

SPONSORSHIP

Thursday Evening Dinner at the Jeffrey Center

Mark Jonson Kansas

Bankers

Surety

Company

CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIP

-Bank of Commerce-Rawlins

-The Rawlins National Bank-Rawlins

SPONSORSHIP

Breakfast Buffet

Steve Hogan Banker’s Bank of the West

Denver, Colorado

SPONSORSHIP

Golf Tournament Coordination & Prizes Breaks throughout Conference

Scott Sexson

Central States of Omaha

Exhibitor

Cindy Garretson-Weibel Wyoming Business Council

Exhibitor

Glen Alameda Superior Livestock Auction

Exhibitor

Kurt Campbell & Ray Becker Big Iron/Stock Auction

Exhibitor

Curt Cox

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Exhibitor

Lucy Pauley

Wyoming Agriculture & Natural

Resources Mediation Program

SPONSORSHIP/EXHIBITOR Thursday Luncheon

Larry Jones

Farmer Mac, Washington, D.C.

SPONSORSHIP

The 2015 Ag Conference is produced in cooperation with the Carbon County

Visitors’ Council

Speaker Bios

Mike Pearson~ ~ Mike Pearson was raised in south central Iowa, attended Simpson College, where he majored in History, and con-tinued to run the family farm south of Winterset, IA. After graduation he moved to Grinnell, Iowa, where he lives with his wife, Heidi. He is a part-time farmer and has experience as a banker with emphasis on Agriculture and Residential lending.

Dillon Fuez~ ~ Dillon Feuz is the head of Applied Economics Department at Utah State University. Prior to becoming head, he was a professor in the department from June 2006 to May 2012. His primary research and extension focus is in Livestock Marketing and Risk Management. He received his B.S. in Agribusiness in 1984 and his M.S. in Agricultural Economics in 1986 from the University of Wyoming and he received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics in 1990 from Colorado State University. He spent six years at South Dakota State University teaching marketing and con-ducting research on livestock production and marketing issues. He then worked for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for ten years analyzing various cattle management and marketing strategies and evaluating consumer’s willingness-to-pay for flavor preferences for beef steaks. Dillon was raised on a cattle ranch in western Wyoming.

Don Day, Jr. ~~ Don is a professional meteorologist, and owner of DayWeather, Inc. a professional weather forecasting and consulting firm he started in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1992. DayWeather provides weather forecast services for over 70 radio stations across the Rocky Mountain West. DayWeather also provides forecasts to many newspapers, aviation, construction and agricultural clients. Don specializes in weather forecasting for competitive gas balloon events and stratospheric airship and stratospheric balloon flights. Don and his wife Heather live in Cheyenne, WY with their daughter Kinsale.

Ray Hansen ~~ Ray Hansen has worked in the oil refining industry for 26 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engi-

neering and a Bachelor’s degree in Material Science & Corrosion Engineering from the University of California Berkeley. Ray has previ-ously worked at TOSCO Oil Corporation (California), Chevron Oil Corporation (Texas), CITGO Oil Corporation (Louisiana) , and Frontier Oil Corporation (Kansas). Ray and his wife Lori moved here to Rawlins Wyoming in 2010. They have 7 children (2 daughters, 5 sons) with ages ranging from 12 to 25 years of age. The Hansen family loves the “outdoor life”, and spends much of their free time camping, fishing and involved with school sports!

Benjamin Smith ~~ Benjamin was raised in central Utah. He graduated from Southern Utah University with a Bachelor’s De-

gree in Agriculture. From there he spent 3 years in Dolores, CO. for the forest service working as there range technician, working with cattle grazing permits and monitoring. Ben has been the wild horse specialist Bureau of Land Management(BLM) in Rawlins for 2.5 years.

Dave Pratt ~~ Dave Pratt is one of the most sought after speakers and respected authorities on sustainable ranching in North America. His programs, which include the Ranching For Profit School and Executive Link, have ben-efited thousands of families and millions of acres. As a Range and Livestock Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension Service for 14 years, Dave researched management intensive grazing and strategic issues im-pacting the profitability of ranches. He earned a reputation for innovative teaching with a practical edge and helped hundreds of farmers and ranchers develop and implement strategies to increase profit. Dave co-founded the Sus-tainable Ranching Research & Education Project, a large-scale, long-term effort to develop, research and demon-strate economic, environmental and socially sustainable ranching practices. He also co-founded the California Graz-ing Academy, which provided ranchers with hands-on experience applying management intensive grazing. In 1991 Dave began work-ing with Dr. Stan Parsons, who created the Ranching for Profit School and founded Ranch Management Consultants. Dave started teaching the Ranching for Profit School in 1992. He has taught the Ranching for Profit School in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Africa. Dave and his wife Kathy bought RMC from Dr. Parsons in 2001. As President and CEO of RMC, Dave carries on the RMC mission by helping people transform their farms and ranches into sustainable businesses. Dave’s new book, Healthy Land Happy Families and Profitable Businesses has received high acclaim from industry leaders. Joel Salatin said, This book delivers more meaning-ful advice in one small space than I’ve ever seen. Wayne Fahsholtz, President and CEO of Padlock Ranch advised, “If you are serious about wanting your ranch to be successful / sustainable, then this is an important read.” Stan Parsons called it, “the best book ever written about ranching anywhere.”

John Blanchfield ~~ John Blanchfield owns Agricultural Banking Advisory Services, an independent consultancy that is dedicat-ed to helping ag bankers and their customers better understand the intersection of policy and the real agricul-tural economy. John has been involved in agricultural banking and finance for nearly 40 years. After 25 years of service he recently left the American Bankers Association where he oversaw all agricultural banking policy for the association. While at ABA Blanchfield delivered over 500 speeches on agricultural banking and policy around the US and the world, was interviewed by hundreds of publications, and made numerous radio and tele-vision appearances. For many years Blanchfield served on the CFTC AG Advisory Committee, and the Agricul-tural Advisory Board of the CME Group. He is a member of the World Bank’s AgriFin Steering Committee, and is on the faculty of the National School for Advanced Agricultural Lenders. He and his wife live in Maryland and Custer, South Dakota.