Day One
3,000+ farmers from across the country and Canada converged on the CHI Health Center in Omaha for the first day of Farmer2Farmer VI. After being away for a few years, we’re back, bigger, better and bolder than ever!
Day 1 saw the introduction of FBN® University with a number of educational seminars covering all aspects of farming and agriculture from livestock to finance to agronomy.
Our trade show also kicked off with industry trendsetters and all the latest tech, products and offerings from the FBN network. We also have plenty of FBN merchandise available so grab something while it’s still available.
Farmers also participated in Crop Circles and heard from keynote speaker and legendary free climber Alex Honnold later in the evening.
Crop Circles connect farmers with other farmers to share their experiences and ideas. With topics ranging from production practices to candid conversations, Crop Circles help farmers build community with other members across the FBN network. It was incredible to see more than 3,000 farmers in attendance at tonight’s opening session.
We asked farmers participating in Crop Circles what the biggest takeaway from day 1 of Farmer2Farmer was:
A farmer from East Central, KS told us, “It was absolutely fascinating how many of the same issues both the USA and Canada are facing!”
And a farmer from Arkansas told us, “I have missed out big time on the previous #F2F events!”
FBN co-founder Charles Baron kicked off the evening sessions with a welcome speech to lay the foundation for what’s to come at Farmer2FarmerVI. After a brief introductory speech, Charles welcomed Alex Honnold to the stage to share his story. And it was a keynote that did not disappoint. “You just have to prepare and work hard enough to expand your comfort zone to face your fears.”
That’s a quote from legendary free climber Alex Honnold who kicked off Day 1 with an inspiring story of courage, determination and how risk management can play into every aspect of life. He shared stories of his journey to make Free Solo and how it taught him to continue to challenge himself even in the most fearful situations.
But despite all of Alex’s accomplishments, he was amazed at the size and enormity of the crowd at FarmerFarmerVI. “I have to be honest, I’ve never seen so many farmers. I’ve never seen a room this big or anything quite like this. It’s slightly intimidating. I can’t get over this audio and mic. I feel like I’m Beyoncé. I feel like I should start dancing.”
Stay tuned for more coverage of Farmer2FarmerVI over the next few days as we recap each day of the event. There’s still time to join us this week! Register here for event admission tickets - free for FBN members - and we’ll see you in Omaha. (Not an FBN member? Click here to become an FBN member for free before registering for the event.)
More Photos from Day One
Day Two
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack sent a brief video to address the crowd at Farmer2Farmer discussing how the current administration is meeting the needs of farmers.
Jocko Willink
Keynote speaker Jocko Willink gave an impassioned and energetic talk about his time as a U.S. Navy SEAL in Iraq. Jocko’s 20 years experience in the SEAL Teams led him to serve as Officer-in-Charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams after returning from Iraq. He is also the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win as well as the host of the top-rated Jocko Podcast.
Day 2 of Farmer2FarmerVI kicked off with another session of Crop Circles as farmers gathered to enjoy breakfast and network with one another.
FBN® co-founder Charles Baron kicked off the morning with an intro speech detailing the power of the FBN network and how profitability is at the front and center of what FBN is doing.
“Profitability is always our focus. Our focus is building a platform network to make you more successful on the farm,” said Baron.
Jocko co-founded Echelon Front, a premier leadership consulting company upon retiring from the NAVY. With his combat experience and knowledge, he now teaches the leadership principles he learned on the battlefield to help others lead and win.
Jocko explained that the only way to take extreme ownership of your destiny is to embrace it.
“If you start to take ownership with what’s going on in your world, other people will start to take ownership as well. And it will spread to everyone on your team.”
FBN 2023 Announcements
Charles Baron took the stage to talk about the future of FBN and how our farmer network is democratizing information and commerce. It all comes down to maximizing profit potential. FBN exists to create a better ROI for your operation.
Getting Back in the Black
This year’s theme for Farmer2Farmer was Back in the Black. We know that operational discipline equals freedom.Taking ownership requires having accurate analytics. Charles walked through some of the free tools available to FBN members with our fully integrated platform.
(Not an FBN member? Click here to become an FBN member for free.)
Lunch and Learn Sessions
Lunch and learn sessions were enjoyed by all with topics covering land value outlooks, estate planning, risk management and an Executive Fireside Chat with ADM’s John Grossmann and FBN CEO Amol Deshpande.
Farmer Panels
The afternoon consisted of a number of farmer panels covering:
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Farming in the Age of Social Media with moderator Zach Johnson
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Seed trends for 2023
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Input supply chain outlook for 2023
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Precision livestock management
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Farming in the age of social media
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Global grain markets outlook for 2023
And there were many more panels for farmers to attend.
Happy Hour
Farmers, industry professionals and exhibitors alike stayed energized with Happy Hour. Farmers took a moment to enjoy food and cold beverages during a break before Peter Zeihan hit the main stage as the final keynote speaker of Farmer2FarmerVI.
Peter Zeihan
As a geopolitical strategist, Peter Zeihan helps people better understand how the world works. Peter took the audience through a deep dive of the Ukraine-Russia war and how it’s affecting agriculture not only in Eastern Europe but on a global level.
Beyond agriculture, Zeihan theorizes that Germany and China’s economic systems are set to decline within the next decade.
“With the absence of Germany and China as economic powers, we are going to double the size of the industrial plant. And if we pull that off, all of our manufacturers will be made here with shorter, simpler, supply chains that use less water and less energy that employ people from North America that sell to the people of North America.
These people are broadly immune to international shocks but it’s a steep road to get there. But it will also generate the fastest economic growth in the history of Canada, Mexico and the United States. This is the greatest story of our country’s history. This is a good story.”
Stay tuned for more coverage of Farmer2FarmerVI over the next few days as we recap each day of the event.
Join us in Omaha for Day 3
There’s still time to join us for the last day of Farmer2Farmer! Register here for event admission tickets - free for FBN members - and we’ll see you in Omaha. (Not an FBN member? Click here to become an FBN member for free before registering for the event.)
More Photos from Day Two
Day Three
The final day of Farmer2FarmerVI started with another Crop Circles networking event. Farmers gathered over breakfast to discuss their operations with fellow network members.
Farmers came away from Crop Circles with some interesting takeaways and shared them with us on our Community Forums.
A farmer from Indiana said, “There are a lot more opportunities with FBN than originally thought.”
Another farmer from Nebraska said he came away from Crop Circles, “Trying to understand synthetics and how capital funding could benefit me without interrupting my estate plan.”
FBN Business Trainings
There were a number of business trainings explaining the wide range of products and financial services available from FBN and FBN Finance:
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Crop Protection Lineup, Biologicals & Acre Pack Training
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Finance & Insurance Programs
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How to Become an FBN Community Builder
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Livestock & Livestock Insurance
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Seed & Seed Treatments Lineup 2023
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Sustainability Programs & Contracts
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Field Trial Program 2023
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Canadian Programs 2023
One of the highlights from these sessions came from the Crop Protection Lineup, Biologicals & Acre Pack Training. A few interesting takeaways to consider: 18 of the top 25 crop protection products in the U.S. will be FBN products by 2025.
FBN is investing $50M in crop protection research and development in the next 3 years
Farmer Olympics
The FBN Olympics saw stiff competition from many of our farmers and own employees. FBN Co-Founder Charles Baron stepped up to the plate to compete with the tire flip. Watch Charles have some fun flipping tires.
Fireside Chat with FBN CEO, Amol Deshpande
FBN CEO Amol Deshpande and Co-Founder Charles Baron end Farmer2FarmerVI with a discussion about the entrepreneurial mindset.
Amol shared this piece of advice, "This is a message to anybody who’s out there running a company of any kind, you have to think about the organizations. But you have to have the courage to stay the course in the long term and not fall prey to short-term mindset. If you’re going to do that, then all those best laid plans go away."
Thank you for joining us in Omaha
While Farmer2FarmerVI may be over, that doesn’t mean you can’t join us in Omaha on December 12-14, 2023. Click here to be the first in line to get tickets to Farmer2Farmer 2023.
Become an FBN Member
Not an FBN member? Join a global network of farmers — 55,000+ strong and growing — who are already taking advantage of the opportunity to reduce their cost of production and maximize the value of their crops. Become an FBN member today.
More Photos from Day Three
