Midwest Agriculture Conference
Tuesday, 09/30/25
9:00 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Speaker
Elizabeth Kepner, Business Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
9:10 AM
Session I: Agriculture and Trade Policy Shifts
Speakers
Amanda Countryman, Professor, Colorado State University
Shawn Arita, Associate Director and Associate Research Professor, North Dakota State University
10:40 AM
Session II: The Geography of Agricultural Trade - Partners and Competitors
Speakers
Joana Colussi, Research Assistant Professor, Purdue University
David Ortega, Professor and Noel W. Stuckman Chair in Food Economics & Policy, Michigan State University
12:00 PM
Lunch and Fireside Chat
Moderator
Edward Lawrence, White House Correspondent, Fox Business Network
Speaker
Austan Goolsbee, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
1:30 PM
Session III: Panel on Implications of the Current Trade Environment for Midwest Agriculture
Moderator
David Oppedahl, Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Panelists
April Hemmes, Owner and Operator, Rafter H Farms and April Farms
John Newton, Executive Head, Terrain
Kreg Ruhl, Vice President of Crop Nutrients, GROWMARK Inc.
Krista Swanson, Chief Economist, National Corn Growers Association
2:45 PM
Closing Remarks
Speaker
Leslie McGranahan, Senior Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Midwest Agriculture Conference 2025
Given volatility in global agricultural markets and changes in trade policies, midwestern agriculture faces renewed questions over its profitability. Both uncertainty around exports and cost pressures on imported inputs have increased, raising concerns among Midwest farm operations. On September 30, 2025, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago held a hybrid event featuring experts from academia, industry, and policy institutions that explored the evolving global trade environment and its impacts on Midwest agriculture.
Transcripts are available for the following:
