David Kohl received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University. Kohl is Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. He was on special leave with the Royal Bank of Canada working on advanced initiatives for two years, and also assisted in the launch of the successful entrepreneurship program at Cornell University.

Kohl has traveled over 10 million miles throughout his professional career! He has conducted more than 7,000 seminars and 600 webinars for agricultural groups such as bankers, Farm Credit, FSA, and regulators, as well as producer and agribusiness groups. He has published five books and over 2,500 articles and video blogs on financial and business-related topics online and in journals, extension, and other popular publications.

He has received 11 major teaching awards while teaching over 10,000 students, and 25 major Extension and Public Service awards from Virginia Tech, Cornell University, and state and national organizations. Kohl is a two-time recipient of the prestigious American Agricultural Economics Association's Outstanding Teaching Award. Kohl is one of only five professors in the 100-year history of the Association to receive the award twice. He received the Governor's award for his distinguished service to Virginia agriculture, the youngest recipient to receive this award. Kohl was recognized as one of 30 leaders who are the brains behind innovative business management and economic information that agriculture uses today. He also has been named one of 7 economists and bankers who challenge the status quo.

Kohl has addressed the American Bankers Agricultural Conference for more than 45 consecutive years, and has appeared before numerous state bankers’ schools and conferences throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the world. He is also one of the top-rated instructors at the LSU and Colorado Graduate Schools of Banking, and is Chancellor of the nationally acclaimed Farm Credit University, which has had over 7,000 enrollments of lenders and producers using a blended online and face-to-face educational approach.

As facilitator of the United States Farm Financial Standards Task Force and member of the Canadian Agricultural Financial Standards Task Force, Dr. Kohl was one of the leaders in establishing guidelines for the standardized reporting and analysis of agricultural producers' financial information on a national and international basis. The Kohl Agribusiness Centre has been established in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech in honor of his long-term commitment to practical teaching, research, and extension. In 2017, Kohl was inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Hall of Fame. Dr. Kohl recently received the 2022 Distinguished Service Award given by Ag Communicators Network.

Kohl is currently President of AgriVisions, LLC, a knowledge-based consulting business providing cutting-edge programs to leading agricultural organizations worldwide. He is also a business coach and part owner of Homestead Creamery, a value-added dairy business in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

On a more personal note, Dave enjoys his grandchildren, playing basketball and likes most sports, farms, dogs, and covered bridges; he dislikes lazy students, administrative bureaucracies, and paperwork!

If you would like to keep up with Kohl’s information and perspectives, check out the following websites:

Farm Progress Weekly Article: https://www.farmprogress.com/author/david-kohl

Ag Trends & Insights Videos: https://agwestfc.com/education-and-resources/industry-and-economic-insights/economic-updates/agricultural-trends

Dr. Kohl’s GPS & Dashboard Indicators: https://www.farmermac.com/news-events/drkohlsgps/

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Ed Elfmann serves as Senior Vice President of Agricultural and Rural Banking Policy for the American Bankers Association in Washington, D.C. ABA is the voice of the nation’s banking industry, and nearly 5,000 banks – 83 percent of all banks nationwide – have agricultural loans within their portfolio.

Elfmann has been with ABA since June 2012 and is ABA’s head of policy on agricultural and rural credit and lending issues. In addition to agricultural policy, Elfmann works on swaps and derivatives policy, financial services, and appropriations for ABA.

Elfmann currently serves on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s Agricultural Markets Advisory Committee and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Agricultural Advisory Committee. In 2015, he was selected to participate in ABA’s Leaders at all Levels leadership program.

A central Minnesota native, Elfmann grew up on a dairy farm where his family still farms corn, soybeans, and steers, in addition to their grain trucking business. Prior to joining ABA, Elfmann was an agriculture and transportation policy advisor for a Congressman on the House Agriculture Committee. Additionally, he has worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the National Corn Growers Association.

Elfmann earned his master’s degree from the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. He earned his B.A. from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. Additionally, Elfmann is currently the President of the Agribusiness Club of Washington, D.C.

Andrew is an operational meteorologist specializing in weather risk communication.

At Nutrien, he focuses on high-impact, disruptive weather events, weather risk mitigation and severe weather safety. He contributes daily regional and macroscale meteorological forecasts, scientific analysis, and product curation for agricultural weather forecasts throughout the world while working with the science, product development, and outreach teams to develop and maintain Nutrien’s weather platform. He frequently travels and presents to audiences of 50-1,000 people across North America speaking on severe weather and mitigating weather risk in production agriculture. In addition to working on the Agronomic & Environmental Sciences team, Andrew also collaborates with the Safety, Health, and Environment team at Nutrien Ag Solutions assisting in weather safety training, issuing alerts ahead of disruptive or dangerous weather events, and aiding in response and recovery efforts after a disaster has occurred.

Expertise: Weather Forecasting, Severe Weather, Weather Safety, Weather Risk Communication.

Publications: RFDTA.com A look at a new team from Nutrien Ag Solutions

A native of Hazen, Arkansas, Dr. Bert Greenwalt is an alumnus of the A-State College of Agriculture. He co-founded and directs the annual A-State Agribusiness Conference, which since 1995 has provided information on the farm economy, agricultural and trade policy, and commodity markets. He currently advises the A-State Agribusiness Club.

Dr. Greenwalt has been recognized with the A-State Faculty Award for Professional Service and the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Agribusiness Award. During 1999-2004, Dr. Greenwalt was elected to two three-year terms as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, then later served eight years as a member of the St. Louis Fed Agribusiness Council. He currently serves as a director of the Arkansas Agricultural Council.

Dr. Greenwalt is a partner in his family's farm near Hazen which produces rice, soybeans, corn, and winter wheat.

Andrew Grobmyer serves as executive vice president of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas.

His roots in agriculture began with his great grandfather’s cotton farm in Caraway, Arkansas in Craighead County. Despite growing up around the farming industry, Grobmyer went to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and got a degree in marketing. After graduating, he moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as the legislative assistant for Sen. Mark Pryor and Congressman Marion Berry. There, he gained extensive knowledge of Arkansas through his legislative agriculture work relating to Arkansas farmers, agri-businesses and rural communities, which he was able to bring back to our state.

As the executive vice president of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas, he advocates for the agriculture industry in Arkansas and works to make sure local farmers’ voices are being heard on Capitol Hill.

Jeff Gregory has intensive experience in agricultural credit as a credit account manager, loan officer and credit administration and loan review officer. He has administered credit programs and account management for more than 40 years in the Eastern Arkansas Delta area. Proficient in loan analysis, marketing and collections, Jeff has 16 years of experience serving as a Senior Manager with a successful Eastern Arkansas agricultural lender. He is also skilled in strategic planning, business development, new program implementation and customer service.

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