A panel of Iowa ag lending and farmland real estate experts will examine the impacts of rising farmland values and interest rates on farmers’ economic well-being at the 2024 Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit June 14 in Ankeny.  

The panel will feature Jim Knuth, senior vice president of lending for Farm Credit Services of America; Kent Stensland, chief credit officer for Bank Midwest; and Travis Smock, realtor and land agent for Peoples Company; for conversations on interest rates, working capital, farmland values and more, said Christopher Pudenz, Iowa Farm Bureau economist. 

“Some questions we might dive into are: Have capital investments slowed down? What do machinery purchases look like? Are we seeing any changes in land sales patterns?,” said Pudenz. “Each panelist will bring something a little unique to the discussion since they all represent somewhat different entities, so we expect an informative and fun discussion.”

Conference attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions of the ag lending panel and other speakers throughout the day, Pudenz noted. 

Go to www.iowafarmbureau.com to see the agenda and complete list of speakers, including a keynote by Chicago Fed President and CEO Austan Goolsbee. 

Registration for the 2024 Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit is $40 for Farm Bureau members and $200 for non-members and includes a June 13 evening welcome reception. 

A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at a discounted rate for summit attendees through May 13. Conference registrations are encouraged by May 14 to guarantee a spot due to limited space.