2009 Conference Highlights
For easier viewing, the photos have been separated into landscape and portrait slideshows.
Landscape Photos
The Sheraton City Center- St. Louis was the location of the 2009 National Farm Business Management Conference.
Sunday: Doug Wertish, Treasurer; Rick Morgan, 2010 Conference Planner; Virgil Dagman, Membership Secretary; John Hobert, Past President & Tom Weygandt, IABME Director during the NFRBMEA pre-conference board meeting.
More attending the NFRBMEA pre-conference board meeting: Jay D. Olsen, Secretary & Wayne Pike, President Elect ...
... and still more pre-conference board meeting attenders: Jay D. Olsen, Wayne Pike, Paul Gorman, President; Jay M. Olson, Rep to The Council; Jesse Schwanke, 2009 Conference Planner & Doug Wertish.
Monday: 2009 Conference Chair Jesse Schwanke (NFRBMEA) welcomes the group.
The vendor area offered many displays and a chance to talk to vendors about their products and services all day Monday.
IABME: the Institute for Agricultural Business Management Education
IABME Director Tom Weygandt and Ed Ruff
Representatives from Base
Calvin Pietz talks to Wally Hoffman of Farm Biz software.
John Hobert visits with the Dekalb representative.
Pat Harrington talks to George Spengler at the Vertical Solutions (Easy Farm) booth.
Kerwin Brock, Rabo AgriFinance
Dan Manternach and Shane Jones representing Doane Advisory Services
John Woodford by the TASC booth.
John Woodford visits with John Potts and Joe Ben Bogle of Ag Connections
The Farm Financial Standards Council booth
Deb Hurraw of FarmWorks Software and John Hobert
The Sheraton's meeting rooms on the 13th floor were located within close proximity to each other during the different sessions.
Lyle Stewart was one of the presenters of "The Paperless Office".
Attorney David Oldfield presented topics on estate planning and farm business entities.
View from the World's Fair Pavilion
View from the World's Fair Pavilion
Dan Hoffman, Historian and NUTS & BOLTS Editor and Deb Pike, Webmaster and NUTS & BOLTS Co-editor.
Endres Processing sponsored Tuesday's breakfast.
The First-Timers' meeting was held during Tuesday's Breakfast.
2009 First-Timers
The First-Timers' Meeting is conducted by the President Elect. This year, it was Wayne's turn.
Wayne talked about NFRBMEA to the First-Timers.
William J. Nelson, president of the CHS Foundation, offered his greetings to the group.
Historian and NUTS & BOLTS Editor Dan Hoffman.
Dr. Dick Joerger's presentation centered around variables contributing to net farm income.
Jay Jackman, NAAE Executive Director, brings greetings to NFRBMEA members.
Jay Stretcher, Colorado Springs, Co, presents his Exchange of Ideas submission.
Can we have some volunteers from the audience? Pat Harrington, Jay M. Olson and Wayne Pike help further illustrate Jay Stretcher's concept.
Ira Beckman, presents a report on behalf of the NFRBMEA Past Presidents during the Business meeting
Jay D. Olsen gives his Secretary's report.
During the week there were a couple opportunities to attend a Cardinals game.
Detroit's Don Kelly
Detroit's Ramon Santiago
An engaging speaker, Dr. Jon Hagler, Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, addressed our group.
After Tour Group B visited ADM and Lange-Stegmann Fertilizer, the bus headed down to Laclede's Landing for a variety of dining choices. Jay Olson, Pauline VanNurden, Jennifer Smith, Myron Oftedahl, Paul Gorman and several others decided to sample the cuisine at the Morgan Street Brewery.
Pat Harrington heads off to catch his bus for the afternoon tour.
After lunch, Tour Group B boarded their buses and headed to the Melvin Price Lock & Dam facility #26 at East Alton, IL, and the National Great Rivers Museum.
Our tour guide tells us about the museum and gives us an overview of our tour of the lock & dam.
Thousands of happy elevator-goers, including Doug Wertish, Jay Olsen and Jennifer Smith eagerly await disembarking at the top of the lock & dam.
Here we are on top of the lock & dam!
The tour presented a unique opportunity to view a lock & dam facility from a different angle.
There are two lock chambers at Melvin Price. The main lock is 1,200 ft. long x 110 ft. wide. The other one measures 600 ft. long and 110 ft. wide.
An up-bound barge approaching.
A viewing area at the Melvin Price Lock & Dam offered a close-up view of the barge as it locked through.
"The" Tom Ackerman, Wilmington, OH and Deb Pike, Rochester, MN.
Following the Lock & Dam tour, we boarded our buses and headed back to the Sheraton.
An annual tradition, Thursday morning's “Denny Jackson Storytelling Breakfast”
Historian and NUTS & BOLTS Editor Dan Hoffman
Wayne Pike presents John Morgan with his IABME scholarship.
Past Presidents Tim Holtquist (2006-07) and Ira Beckman (2002-03) speak to the membership.
Paul Gorman, right, presents Jay M. Olson with the NFRBMEA Distinguished Service Award.
John Hobert receiving his Distinguished Service Award.
Secretary Jay D. Olsen takes minutes during the Post-Conference Board Meeting.
IABME Program Director Tom Weygandt
Todd A. Doehring of Centrec Consulting Group, LLC
IABME participants in Todd Doehring's workshop on "Financial Statement Analysis and Interpretation".
Institute Workshop
The first class of IABME participants: Jennifer Smith, Kenyon, MN; Deborah Ihm, Fennimore, WI; Myron Oftedahl, Glencoe, MN; Tina Stadtherr, North Mankato, MN; Jason Fischer; Pauline VanNurden, Owatonna, MN; John Morgan, Alma, MO; Program Director Tom Waygandt; Dustin Williams; and Todd Doehring, workshop presenter.
Barb Kelm, Mary Kurtz, Julie Hobert & Ann Pietz braved a June shower on Monday. Photo: Ginny Morgan
Elaine Waygandt, Jane Thome & Mary Kurtz visit the Cheesecake Factory. Photo: Ginny Morgan
The reflecting pool near the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Photo: Ginny Morgan
A Croton at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Photo: Ginny Morgan
Cheers! Ira Beckman & Rick Morgan suffering through the Anheuser-Busch tour. Photo: Ginny Morgan
Dan Hoffman & Rick Morgan mugging for the photographer. Photo: Ginny Morgan
As a rule, the National Farm Business Management Conference provides an opportunity for education, networking, and reconnecting with colleagues and friends, and this year's conference was no exception. We listened to informative speakers on a variety of topics, visited with vendors, went on some interesting tours and enjoyed some regional entertainment. Some of us took in a Cardinals game, went up in the Arch or explored other St. Louis attractions and restaurants.
If you have photos that you would like to add to this carousel, please send them my way. Include some caption information, as well as the names of people in the photo. We were on the ADM, Lange-Stegmann, and Lock & Dam Tour, so any photos from the other tour would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks to Ginny Morgan, Dillworth, MN, for contributing some of her photos of spouse activities and the Anheuser-Busch tour. If you have any spouse program photos you'd like to contribute to this gallery, please send them my way. Include some caption information, as well as the names of people in the photo.
Portrait Photos
Elaine & Tom Weygandt, Ginny & Rick Morgan, and Wayne Pike check out the "Nijinski Hare", a 10-foot tall sculpture by Barry Flanagan. It is a playful interpretation of the famous Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky.
Bruce Blakemore entertained us with "Songs From the Farm" during the Sunday evening mixer.
Ron Plain, University of Missouri, talked about the U.S. economy & agriculture, biofuels, and the swine industry.
President Elect Wayne Pike introduces Dale Nordquist.
Dale Nordquist, Center for Farm Financial Management, spoke on "Financial Guidelines for Ag Producers".
Topics covered by Patrick Westhoff, FAPRI, included implementing the 2008 Farm Bill, ACRE, and market outlook & farm policy.
Dan Manternach, Doane Advisory Services, spoke on the importance of benchmarking.
Gary Johnson also explains "The Paperless Office". Other presenters on this topic were Carl Johnson and Jim Vermazen.
Monday evening's activity was a picnic at the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park.
Ralph Duren gave a fascinating program of humorous stories and animal calls.
Roger McEowen spoke on farm & ranch business planning issues and farm income tax issues
Julie Maschhoff, VP and Director of Public Relations, The Maschhoffs, talked about "Top Tier Production Systems" in hog production.
Kevin Kliesen, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Nathan Fields, of the National Corn Growers Association, talked about "Biotechnology & Economic Analysis".
Tuesday's luncheon was sponsored by Monsanto, and they sent John Raines, Monsanto's Business and Government Affairs, to offer his greetings to conference attenders.
Paul Gorman calls the NFRBMEA Business Meeting to order.
Jennifer Smith, Riverland Community College, Kenyon, MN presenting her Exchange of Ideas submission.
Treasurer Doug Wertish presenting his Treasurer's Report to the membership.
A view from the stands.
National Great Rivers Museum
Randy Harmon, Moweaqua, IL and Jay D. Olsen, Richfield, UT.
Pat Harrington gears up for the annual Denny Jackson Storytelling Breakfast.
Myron Oftedahl shares a story with the group.
Listening to Gene Kuntz's "Stranger Than Fiction" story
Doug Wertish regales the group with his story.
Mike Adams, Agri-Talk Radio, spoke to us about "Hot Topics in Agriculture".
Membership Secretary Virgil Dagman gives his report during the second session of the NFRBMEA Annual Business Meeting.
Tom Weygandt, IABME Program Director, presents his report to the membership.
NFRBMEA Conference Co-Host Norman Rohrbach comments on the week's events.
New President Wayne gets ready to adjourn the Business Meeting.
The Institute for Agricultural Business Management Education held a post-conference workshop Thursday afternoon through Friday morning. Could this be the Official IABME Mascot?
Inside the entrance of the Ridgway Center, Missouri Botanical Garden. Photo: Ginny Morgan
A giant stein on display at Anheuser-Busch. Photo: Ginny Morgan