Local bank sponsors agricultural business conference

MENDOTA, Ill. — The 23rd annual First State Bank Ag Conference, a special forum for area farmers, is scheduled for 10 a.m. Jan. 26 at the Mendota Civic Center.

Starting the program will be John Cantlin and Joe Cantlin of Cantlin Law Firm. Their discussion will cover family transition and estate planning, tax implications and numerous other matters dealing with the family farm.

John Cantlin is a 1970 University of Illinois College of Agriculture graduate and a 1977 John Marshall Law School graduate with a Juris Doctor degree.

Joe Cantlin is a 2004 U of I graduate with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness, farm and financial management, and he received his Juris Doctor degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University in 2007.

Following the Cantlins will be will be Doug Roose, vice president of producer marketing for Archer Daniels Midland.

Roose is responsible for all producer grain marketing related activities in the United States and Canada, including the development and deployment of new and existing products and services for farmers.

The keynote speaker will be Eric Snodgrass, the principal atmospheric scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions, where he develops predictive, analytical software solutions to manage weather risk for global production agriculture.

Snodgrass provides frequent weather updates that focus on how high-impact weather events influence global agriculture productivity.

His current research uses machine learning to better understand filed-level weather impacts on yields in the United States and to increase confidence in long-range weather prediction.

Snodgrass has earned several awards through the U of I as the director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Atmospheric Sciences prior to coming to Nutrien.

Area farmers are encouraged to contact First State Bank at 815-539-3834 prior to Jan. 21 to confirm reservations for the event.

ADM Grain Co. and Prairie State Tractor will serve as major cosponsors of this event and will provide lunch for all those in attendance. First State Insurance will sponsor the morning coffee and doughnuts.

Door prizes are being provided by several area businesses, including Beck Oil Co., Cantlin Law Firm, Chris Eller — the Retirement Specialists, Country Village Meats, Crop Production Services, Dinges Fire Co., Earlville Farmers Coop, Guilfoyle & Stevenson Law Firm, Hornung Tiling Inc., Foster’s Tax & Accounting LLC, Leffelman & Associates, Leone Polaris, Maplehurst Farms, Mendota Mutual Insurance, Meriden Grain — Pioneer Seed, Northern Partners Cooperative, Pioneer Seed Sales — Rodney Rod, Prescott Bros. Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Schimmer Automotive Group, Sublette Farmers Elevator Co., Sublette Mechanical, Troy Grove Coop, Vaessen Bros. Chevrolet, Vaessen Implement and Repair, and West Brooklyn Farmers Coop.