convention & trade show.
Educational Sessions
This is where America's farmers learn to be even better at what they do.
Commodity Classic is your opportunity to learn what you want to know. How to become a better farmer. How policy and regulations are going to affect your bottom line. How new technology and innovation can impact your profitability and production. So take full advantage of the educational sessions offered throughout Commodity Classic.
Your name badge is your admission ticket to any and all of the educational sessions.
You do not have to preregister for the educational sessions. Just walk in to any one that interests you. And if it's not quite what you expected, feel free to excuse yourself and drop in on another session if one is available.
In addition to the General Session, there are a number of different educational sessions scheduled:
Early Riser Production Session: Doubling Your Yields in 20 Years or Less
March 1--7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Learn what you can do to double your yields in corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, and other crops. Brian and Darren Hefty will lay out specific steps to build your soils and manage your crops to much higher yield and profit levels. Improving hybrids and varieties is important, but out of the individual farmer’s control. This session will focus on what you can influence – from seed placement to harvestseason plant health – and give you an easy-to-follow plan to double your yields.
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Pre-Opening Learning Center Session: Booming Exports – Opening Global Doors: Vietnam
March 1--8:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
As a follow-up to last year’s session on China, our 2012 panel will explore the exploding market of Vietnam and the potential it has to U.S. grain and oilseed farmers. Corn, soy and wheat have all seen remarkable increases mainly due to the animal feed market. Will this continue? The panel will examine grain and meat exports and growing competition, challenges and opportunities.
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Mini Win Sessions
March 1--8:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Five-minute presentations – in a fast-paced 90-minute window – give you a brief introduction to key innovations. Afterward be sure to visit these companies on the trade show floor to learn even more.
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Mini Win Sessions (Repeat)
March 1--10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Repeat of the 8:15 Mini Win Sessions except in reverse order.
Attend five-minute presentations – in a fast-paced 90-minute window – give you a brief introduction to key innovations. Afterward be sure to visit these companies on the trade show floor to learn even more.
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Pre-Opening Learning Center Session: The Tall and Short of Advocacy: Conversations with Passion & Purpose
March 1--10:00 a.m. - Noon
Interact with Jolene Brown, CSP, and Michele Payn- Knoper, CSP as they bring authentic advocacy to life. You’ll walk away with actionable tips and tools to take home to your farm. This 5’12” brunette and short blonde will help you get your stuff straight. You’ll learn how to accurately, personally and positively present agriculture, respond in tough situations, and utilize today’s powerful social media tools. The best part?
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Early Riser Marketing Session: U.S. Farm Report
March 2--7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Be a part of “U.S. Farm Report,” the weekly one-hour program produced by Farm Journal Media. See a television show in the making while asking questions of host John Phipps and a panel of commodity traders and analysts. Gain insight into futures, market trends and other agricultural issues as the experts debate topics you present. Audience questions will guide a lively discussion on grain futures, market trends and top-of-mind agribusiness issues. Highlights from this special television taping will air nationwide on “U.S. Farm Report,” the nation’s longest-running, syndicated, agricultural news program.
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WIN Session: The Nuts and Bolts of Transitioning Patented Biotech Traits to a Generic Market
March 2--1:00 p.m. - 1:40 p.m.
In 2014, the first widely grown plant biotechnology event will lose patent protection, with more than 50 other patents to follow in the coming years. But what does this mean for you? Come and learn the nuts and bolts of how the seed industry plans to transition to generic events.
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WIN Session: New Automated, Precision Technology from John Deere
March 2--1:00 p.m. - 1:40 p.m.
Learn about John Deere FarmSight and the new technology that will revolutionize fleet management, automated harvesting systems, remote diagnostics, and other technologies to improve overall machinery productivity on your farm.
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Learning Center Session: Is the Grain Belt Now the Rain Belt?
March 2--1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
This session will take an in-depth look at the national and global effects of recent weather patterns, which could shift the upper Midwest and northern Plains away from springplanted crops. We will also discuss overall weather patterns in the U.S. and globally and how they could affect corn, soybean, sorghum and wheat production domestically. In addition, this session will provide perspective on how the 2012 season is shaping up. You will gain important insights into weather patterns that could affect your farming decisions in the years ahead.
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Learning Center Session: The Food Morality Movement: Where Do You Fit?
March 2--1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Agriculture is under assault! But do you clearly see the threat, the way the arguments are woven against our modern food production system and how you can effectively respond? In a world that tells you not to talk about religion and politics, is it any wonder activists have turned these areas into their personal playground?
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Learning Center Session: Environmental Issues and Farming
March 2--1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Environmental issues are a critical part of the overall context in which farmers raise their crops and operate their businesses. Counselor to the EPA Administrator on agriculture policy, Larry Elworth will give an encore visit on the most recent developments on the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), discuss the implications of EPA policies on farm operations and how farmers can be actively engaged in regulatory issues.
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WIN Session: Annual Ryegrass and Other Cover Crops Boost Yields and Profit
March 2--2:00 p.m.-2:40 p.m.
Cover crops are popular because farmers are experiencing immense benefits from their use. Annual ryegrass is among the most popular ones, whether used alone or with other cover crops. Annual ryegrass (and others) improve soil health and result in higher yields, especially in years with extreme weather events.
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WIN Session: Connecting your Farm with Precision Agriculture
March 2--2:00 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.
It's not about the technology, it's what you can DO with it. Trimble's Connected Farm - a convergence of guidance, machine control, wireless communications and computing software - is letting farmers leverage their technology investment to do more work, more efficiently, with less effort than ever before.
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Learning Center Session: Root Health: The Importance of Maximizing Yields from Below-Ground
March 2--2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
While they may be “out of sight, out of mind,” root systems are vital to maximizing crop health and performance. Roots do more than just keep the plant in the ground – they are the life source, absorbing water and nutrients that allow each plant to thrive. During this session, panelists will explain how to identify attributes of healthy roots, issues that impact root performance and how you can ensure a healthy root system for maximum crop performance and yield.
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Learning Center Session: This Little Piggy Went to Mexico…
March 2--2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
What is the cost of driving U.S. animal agriculture across our borders or offshore? Some of corn, sorghum and soy’s biggest customers are pigs, chickens and cows, which is why U.S. grain and oilseed farmers should support U.S. poultry and livestock farmers. Recent research might make you want to go home and hug your livestock-neighbor.
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Learning Center Session: Better Protect Your 2012 Crop with the New Yield Trend Endorsement
March 2--2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Illinois Corn listened when farmers expressed frustration with crop insurance. For corn and soybean producers in Illinois, crop insurance didn’t work very well for farmers, yielding only 42 cents back to the farmer for every dollar paid in premiums. Similar challenges exist in other states. In this session, we will explain how the new product will begin to fix the problem and how it will help you to be better protected for your 2012 crop. The new product, called the Yield Trend Endorsement, accommodates a growing yield trend that will benefit corn and soybean farmers in every state.
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WIN Session: Management of Drainage Waters to Improve Environmental Performance & Productivity
March 2--3:00 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.
Agricultural drainage can move nutrients from where they are essential to production to waters where they become an environmental liability. Inadequate attention has been given to the management of the systems to address environmental issues. The NRCS has developed new practice standards to address these issues. Specifics on the program, incentives to farmers, and targets for implementation will be presented in this forum.
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WIN Session: Taking Fieldprints to the Next Level: Field to Market Introduces New Fieldprint Calculator
March 2--3:00 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.
Field to Market introduces an updated version of the Fieldprint Calculator. Updates to the tool include integration of NRCS models and global positioning tools as well as an enterprise budget analysis, improving how farmers can share their sustainability story. Pilot projects are currently testing the Calculator’s application.
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Learning Center Session: Outrun Your Yield Trend Line, Not Your Soil Nitrogen
March 2--3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Off-site movement of nitrogen from fertilizer and other sources has been linked to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and other water bodies. A pending approach to address hypoxia involves capping fertilizer rates. Alternatives to this approach include technologies such as in-season nitrogen applicators, crop reflectance sensors and enhanced efficiency fertilizers. This session will summarize what is and is not known about nitrogen in the environment, what technologies can improve crop yield and reduce off-site movement of nitrogen, and why capping fertilizer rates may put producer profitability at risk.
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Learning Center Session: New Communications Strategies to Build Consumer Trust in Today’s Agriculture
March 2--3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
You will receive a brief overview of USFRA’s communications strategies, and learn why it’s important to listen to consumers to better understand their concerns. Increased consumer skepticism about the food production system should be addressed with the right language. This interactive session will provide participants the opportunity to view different scenarios and various reactions. After attending the session, you’ll be able to communicate more comfortably and effectively with consumers and will be able to incorporate research-tested messages when communicating about your farm.
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Learning Center Session: Buying Power and Grain Exports
March 2--3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
How will the value of the U.S. Dollar impact grain exports? And what factors will outside investors consider? Moderator and panelists will share economic outlook perspectives and their unique views on U.S. grain trade. Also, you will hear how investment fund managers make their decisions, and what it all means for grain producers.
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WIN Session: Advancing Agronomic Knowledge – Increasing Productivity through Local Pioneer Hi-Bred Scientific Research
March 2--4:00 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.
Local corn research by Pioneer Hi-Bred around crop canopy sensors is uncovering ways to more efficiently manage nitrogen over multiple environments. Their research is also revealing soybean management practices growers can use to make high yields a more common reality.
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WIN Session: Three New Additions to Callisto Plant Technology® Family of Syngenta Corn Herbicide Brands - Zemax™, Lexar® EZ
March 2--4:00 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.
Syngenta is expanding its market-leading Callisto Plant Technology family of brands with three new corn herbicides – Zemax, Lexar EZ and Lumax EZ – that will be launched for the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons to deliver long-lasting residual control and application flexibility. Based on patented capsule-suspension formulation technology, these brands are designed for optimized handling and tank clean out.
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Early Riser Marketing Session: How To Lock In Profits With A Preharvest Plan
March 3--7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Pricing grain with a committed, preharvest plan could mean more profits for your bottom-line. Ed Usset, who teaches “Futures and Options Markets” at the University of Minnesota, will help you search for preharvest marketing advantages using fictional producers, including Barney Binless, Grandma and Peter Paperfarmer. Each celebrity represents a different approach to preharvest marketing. How does your approach compare to theirs? Can you take what you learn from the celebrities and write a better plan for your own farm?
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Learning Center Session: Precision Ag: Know More, Grow More
March 3--8:15 a.m.-9:15 a.m.
Farmers are being asked to do more than ever before: grow more, use fewer inputs and be great examples of sustainable agriculture. This session features a panel of soybean, corn and wheat growers who optimize their inputs with precision farming tools. Hear how these growers use geo-referenced data, electronic controllers, yield monitors, boom/section control and other precision farming tools to turn what they know into MORE of what they grow. You’ll walk away with ideas on how to collect, analyze, and act on data in a manner that optimizes inputs (seed, chemicals, fertilizer), improves profitability and enhances environmental stewardship.
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Learning Center Session: Inside Washington: Outlook for Agriculture’s Agenda
March 3--8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Hear the latest on federal agricultural, environmental and energy policy from a top Washington journalist. For over 33 years, Jim Wiesemeyer has covered DC, frequently reporting on and interviewing senior government officials, including Presidents Reagan and Carter, as well as numerous USDA Secretaries. An acknowledged leader in farm bill policy and Washington news coverage, Jim will also share analysis of what current events will mean to your operation and how to apply it to your farm.
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Learning Center Session: Managing Risk in Cycles
March 3--8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Moe Russell provides consulting services specializing in risk management services, transition planning and feasibility analysis. He grew up on a diversified grain and livestock farm near Monticello, Iowa, and is still involved in production agriculture. In this presentation, Russell takes a “30,000-foot view” of the agriculture industry, worldwide, the opportunities, challenges and the tremendous potential. He relates our current environment to longterm cycles. He then gets to “ground zero” and explains how farmers can develop easy to use plans to manage their farm business and achieve their profit goals.
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WIN Session: Roundup Ready PLUS - Weed Management Solutions for Today and the Future
March 3--8:30 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.
Roundup Ready PLUS Weed Management Solutions is a collaborative weed control platform developed to provide effective, economical, and sustainable weed control solutions from multiple companies for farmers with glyphosate resistant and other tough to control weeds. Come learn about proactive weed management recommendations developed across companies and with university academics and how you can benefit financially with incentive programs.
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WIN Session: The New S-Series Combines from John Deere: The Largest, Most Productive Machines We've Ever Built!
March 3--8:30 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.
Learn about the new John Deere S-Series Combines, the increased power, performance, and operator comfort, and the new corn heads and hydra-flex draper platforms. These are the largest, most powerful harvesting machines John Deere has ever built.
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WIN Session: DuPont Goes Beyond Crop Protection to Make Every Acre Count
March 3--9:30 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
Learn about a commitment to grower success, DuPont helps growers make every acre count – from seed to harvest. Highlights will include new herbicides for rotational flexibility, DuPont™ Prevathon™ insect control to preserve yield potential and quality plus how to get stronger, healthier plants, improved yield potential with a new fungicide.
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WIN Session: The Latest Tillage and Application Toolbar Innovations for Row-Crop Farming
March 3--9:30 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
Case IH is proud to present its all-new, field-proven 900 series family of application equipment led by the Nutri-Placer and Nutri-Tiller machines, which are larger, commercial-grade tools for side dressing, preplant and strip-till for a more uniform crop stand. In addition, learn how the 330 Turbo works with Case IH’s Robo-Sharpener™, the world's first field service robot for sharpening standard and wavy tillage blades.
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Closing Learning Center Session: Top 10 Estate Tax Mistakes
March 3--1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Estate planning has been one of the most requested topics by Commodity Classic attendees. Don’t pay voluntary estate taxes to the IRS. The $5 million federal estate tax exemption enacted by Congress for 2011 and 2012 does not excuse farm owners from making future estate and succession plans now. The price tag for botched or overlooked tax planning can easily cost many farm heirs $100,000 or more in unnecessary tax bills, let alone family stress. Stakes are compounded by the fact that land makes up more than 80 percent of the average farm family’s estate and those real estate values have more than doubled in the last five years in many cases. Learn which estate tax tools — including the appropriate trusts, insurance and special use valuation — can ease your tax burdens and family succession issues. Bring plenty of questions for the Q&A.
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