Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Noon

Lunch

Session 1 - Cooperative Strategic Management

1:00 p.m.

Welcome and Introductions

1:15 p.m.

Drivers of Change in Agriculture
Allan Gray, AGEC Professor/Land O'Lakes Chair/Executive Director, CAB & DIAL
Purdue University

3:15 p.m.

Break

3:45 p.m.

Driving Strategy Through the Cooperative
Dan Kowalski, Sr. Director, Global Economic Research & Foresight
Land O'Lakes

4:45 p.m.

Bull Session: Rethinking the Cooperative System for Future Success

5:30 p.m.

Reception and Dinner

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

8:00 a.m.

Preparing and Positioning for Technology Developments
David Black, EVP, Enterprise Transformation and Chief Information Officer
CHS, Inc.

9:15 a.m.

Break

9:30 a.m.

Connecting to Your Customers
Tracy Linbo, Chief Commercial Officer
AgVend

10:30 a.m.

Break

10:45 a.m.

Agricultural Economic and Policy Update
Matt Clark, Senior Rural Economy Analyst
Terrain

Noon

Lunch

1:00 p.m.

Preparing the Cooperative for Change
Christopher Fischer, Ph.D., Principal Consultant
Fusion Consultants International

3:00 p.m.

Break

3:30 p.m.

DOs and DON'Ts of Mergers and Acquisitions: A State Level Perspective
Rocky Weber, President & CEO
Nebraska Cooperative Council

4:15 p.m.

Lessons Learned from a Recent Merger
Alan Woodard, CEO
Kanza Cooperative

5:30 p.m.

Load Bus to go off-site for CoBank Dinner
hosted by Marcus Wilhelm, Regional President, Regional Agribusiness Banking Group
and Michael Walton, Regional Vice President
CoBank

Thursday, April 10, 2025

8:00 a.m.

CEO Roundtable Debrief

8:15 a.m.

Cooperative Leadership: A Panel Discussion
Dave Christiansen, former President & CEO of MKC
John McCreedy, former President & CEO of Amalgamated Sugar Company

10:00 a.m.

Wrap-up and Adjourn