Seven speakers from Iowa State University, Pinion Risk Management and Schrader Real Estate will headline the 2026 Siouxland Agricultural Lenders Seminar on Oct. 29 at the Terrace View Event Center, 230 St. Andrews Way, in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Registration opens at 8:30 a.m., with programming running 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Organized through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the one-day event targets agricultural lenders, consultants, farm financial advisers and producers. The program features research-based information to support risk management and informed financial decisions in crop, livestock and dairy operations.

How much does it cost to attend?

Preregistration runs $100 for the first attendee, $75 for each additional attendee from the same business and $30 for students. Day-of registrations cost $125, with lunch not guaranteed for late arrivals.

The preregistration deadline is Oct. 23. Attendees can register online at go.iastate.edu/AGLENDERS2026 or by mailing a check payable to Sioux County Extension to ISU Extension and Outreach Sioux County, 400 Central Ave. NW, Suite 700, Orange City, IA 51041.

What topics will the agenda cover?

Speakers will address water regulation, commodity policy, land and equipment markets, the farm bill, dairy risk management and shifting ownership structures.

Dan Anderson, an Iowa State University associate professor who works on manure management, water quality and nutrient cycling in agroecosystems, will lead a session on water quality rights and regulations. He'll walk lenders and producers through the compliance factors that shape on-farm water infrastructure investment.

Susan Stroud, founder of No Bull Agriculture, will present "Rewriting the Rules: Policy, Markets and the Decisions Reshaping Agriculture." Her session will examine how trade deals, biofuel policy and shifting global demand are reshaping crop and livestock markets — including what is driving prices into 2027, where margins are most vulnerable and what lenders should watch as producers make decisions in a rapidly changing market.

R.D. Schrader, a lifelong Indiana auctioneer and founder of Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company Inc., will share insights on the land and equipment market. Schrader pioneered the M3, or Maximum Marketing Method, land auction process.

Guang Tian, an Iowa State assistant professor of agricultural economics, will outline action or inaction on the farm bill — a perennial question for lending decisions tied to farm program support.

Will Babler of Pinion Risk Management will deliver a dairy market outlook and risk management briefing. Babler has advised producers, processors and end users on margin management in dairy, grain, livestock and biofuels since 2005. He leads PRM's Dairy Risk Management group and guides the firm's technology strategy and crop insurance solutions.

Eric Weuve, a north-central Iowa farm management specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will discuss the rise of nontraditional management and financial partners in production agriculture — a structural shift with direct implications for lending relationships.

Fred Hall, an ISU Extension and Outreach dairy specialist, will recap the latest Iowa Dairy Producer Survey, which the ISU dairy team runs every five years.

What is Hall's view on the seminar?

"This seminar has proven itself in assisting Siouxland lenders and financial advisors as a local source for current information which they can use as they help producers manage risk," Hall said.

How can lenders register or follow up?

Contact Fred Hall at 712-737-4230 or [email protected]. Additional details are posted at extension.iastate.edu/DairyTeam.

With the farm bill, dairy margins and land values all on the agenda, the Oct. 29 session offers Siouxland lenders a one-day read on the variables shaping their 2027 underwriting decisions.