2026 Annual Meeting Recap
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our 2026 Annual Meeting. We appreciated the participation, thoughtful discussion and feedback our members provided over breakfast. A few key takeaways from the challenge questions included honest advice from our members for the next generation of farmers.
- Be financially literate and sharpen your marketing and hedging skills.
- Be patient and be prepared
- When you’re first starting out, never compare yourself to someone who has been at it a long time. They had to start somewhere too.
- Always be a student. Do your homework.
- Work on being mentally strong and be prepared for the ups and downs. Understand how to navigate both.
After welcoming remarks from Vice President Mike Thiel, Board Chairman Dusty Sonnenberg opened the business portion of the meeting and along with Nominating Chairman Matt Clinger reviewed the slate of candidates for the Board of Directors and future Nominating Committee. Elections are held via paper and electronic ballots following the annual meeting in accordance with the bylaws. We extend our thanks to everyone who served on the nominating committee.
CEO Brian Ricker along with CFO Dan Lucke presented the Financial Report. We are pleased to report that the Association had another successful year in 2025. Both recognized the challenges our members are facing with low grain prices, high feeder calf prices, tighter margins and an uncertain trade outlook. CFO Dan Lucke reported that net income remained essentially flat compared to the prior year, while maintaining a strong capital position.
CEO Ricker stated, “We’ve learned over the years that strong capital is foundational to a strong patronage program and to our long-term stability”.
The association continues to serve its mission in providing value to our member-owners through our patronage program. For the 39th consecutive year, AgCredit shared its profits with its members returning $22.6 million in cash patronage.
Director Gary Wilson updated attendees on several key initiatives that reflect AgCredit’s continued commitment to our mission, our members, and the strength of the rural communities the association serves. In 2025, AgCredit remained focused on providing sound, reliable credit solutions while supporting growth, stability and opportunity through programs such as the Mission Fund. This past year the association awarded $135,900 in grants to 14 different organizations across the AgCredit territory. This included fire departments, FFA chapters, county Ag Societies and fairground improvement committees.
The Ag-LINK program was also highlighted. AgCredit remains the leading lender in this program, which provides interest rate reductions to eligible borrowers. The most recent level provided a savings of 2%. This helps members manage their interest rate risk and manage their operational costs. Another way your cooperative helps you manage your financial risk is through note modifications. This past year we were able to modify 913 loans with an average of 37 basis points savings.
Supporting young, beginning, and small farmers remains a core priority for AgCredit. The Association continues to offer loan programs, education, and outreach specifically designed to meet the unique needs of these producers. These programs help address barriers to entry, support succession planning, and encourage the next generation of agricultural producers. Events like the Emerge Experience offer market and industry updates, financial literacy and recordkeeping tools to help those getting started.
The event capped off with Navigating the Economy in 2026 from Ben Ayers, Senior Analyst with Nationwide Economics. He sited several fundamentals driving current conditions. Though economic growth has been resilient with a boost from AI, consumer spending remains soft as they remain uncertain about the economy. Business sector activity is picking up with both consumer stimulus and tax incentives for businesses from the OBBBA (One Big Beautiful Bill). Farm incomes will remain stressed in early 2026, with input costs and interest rates remaining high and extreme volatility in the commodity and livestock markets. Forecasting shows possible easing of short-term rates, but long-term rates will likely remain steady.