MKC Hosts Annual Ag Symposium

Jan 07, 2020


ag-symposium

Nearly 200 member-owners, employees and vendor partners attended MKC's 2019 Ag Symposium in Newton. With the theme of “2020 Vision”, attendees heard from industry experts on the topics of trade, policy, farmers of the future and agricultural technology. 

Chief Agricultural Negotiator Gregg Doud spoke about the agricultural trade agenda of the Trump administration. He discussed the current U.S. trade agreement with China and Japan and the effects of African Swine Fever on corn and soybean meal production in the United States. 

Jim Wiesemeyer, senior vice president with Pro Farmer, gave attendees an inside look at policies and politics. His presentation included a detailed explanation of key players in Washington and a future outlook of agriculture. 

Ag-Symposium-2.jpgAttendees were challenged with the question 'what can we do today to create the conditions we want for the future' by Aimpoint Research President and CEO Brett Sciotto. His presentation, titled Farmer of the Future, compared five farmer psychographics and their adaptability to future conditions. 

Mark Young, CTO and head of product for The Climate Corporation, presented on the importance of using field data with Climate Fieldview to create better yields and a higher return on investment. 

MKC employees demonstrated available technology at the Technology Corner. Technology on display included Amazon's Alexa, FarmTRX, Climate, MKC Atlas Portal and a drone. 

 

Watch the recap video: