Welcome to the 2026 Ag Outlook Forum
September 21-22, 2026

Sara Wyant is the founder and publisher of Agri-Pulse Communications Inc., a digital media firm she launched in 2004 covering farm, food, and rural policy. An award-winning agricultural journalist, she has reported on nearly every major policy debate since the 1980s and is a respected voice on Capitol Hill. Wyant broke barriers as the first woman on Farm Progress’ senior management team and as chair of the Farm Foundation’s board. Honored by Folio’s “Top Women in Media,” she has received numerous industry awards. A graduate of Iowa State University, she owns and manages her family’s century farm in Iowa.

Zach Helder is Vice President of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City, bringing a decade of experience in management, agricultural economics and policy, and communications. He has led financial turnarounds for large membership organizations; provided policy and economic expertise to government at all levels and to private clients; and served in the U.S. Congress as both an agriculture policy advisor and communications director. While earning his graduate degree at Princeton University, Helder led a working group of former USDA Secretaries and U.N. officials on the Russia-Ukraine War’s impact on food insecurity, publishing recommendations in Foreign Affairs.

Mayor Quinton Lucas serves as the 55th Mayor of Kansas City and is the youngest person elected to the role since 1855. Born and raised in Kansas City’s inner city, he has focused his tenure on expanding opportunity, affordable housing, public safety, infrastructure, and economic growth. His administration established the City’s first Housing Trust Fund and has secured more than $100 million in federal, state, and private grants. Mayor Lucas has also helped elevate Kansas City nationally and globally, including securing its role as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He and his wife, Katherine, are the proud parents of two children.

Mike Johanns served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 2005 to 2007, where he worked to expand foreign market access for U.S. producers, advance renewable fuels and conservation, and developed a comprehensive farm bill proposal that helped shape the 2008 Farm Bill. Prior to joining USDA, Johanns served as Governor of Nebraska from 1999 to 2005 and Mayor of Lincoln from 1991 to 1998. He later represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate from 2009 to 2015. Johanns is a graduate of St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and earned his law degree from Creighton University.

Glenn Brunkow serves as President of Kansas Farm Bureau, elected to the role by the organization’s Board of Directors in 2026. He previously served as Vice President and 1st District Director. A fifth-generation farmer and stockman, Brunkow farms with his father in Pottawatomie County, raising soybeans, corn, wheat and hay, along with cattle and sheep. He began his Farm Bureau leadership as a Pottawatomie County board member in 1999. Brunkow earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University in 1993 and a master’s degree in agronomy in 2011.

Garrett Hawkins serves as President of Missouri Farm Bureau, first elected to the role in 2020 and currently serving his third two-year term. A third-generation farmer, Hawkins and his family operate a St. Clair County farm focused primarily on beef cattle production. His career spans Farm Bureau, state government and agribusiness, including service as deputy director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture and nearly 15 years leading Farm Bureau’s national lobbying and policy development efforts. Hawkins also serves on the American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors. He earned a degree in agricultural business from Missouri State University.

Krista Swanson serves as Chief Economist for the National Corn Growers Association, where she leads economic analysis and research supporting U.S. corn growers and informing public policy. Her work focuses on agricultural markets, farm policy, trade, and economic issues affecting the competitiveness of the U.S. corn industry. Prior to joining NCGA in 2023, Swanson was a research specialist with the Gardner Agricultural Policy Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and contributed to the farmdoc program. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Josh Linville oversees the global fertilizer department at StoneX, leading the fertilizer trade desk and analysis of fertilizer markets worldwide. Raised on a family farm in northwestern Missouri, he brings firsthand agricultural experience and more than 20 years of fertilizer industry expertise to his work. Throughout his career, Linville has held leadership roles in logistics, nitrogen production, and international commerce. He and his team work extensively with the industry on fertilizer futures markets and strategies to manage price risk and improve sales opportunities. Linville’s expertise includes commodity risk management, pricing analysis, sales strategy, and market research.

Scott Gerlt serves as Chief Economist for the American Soybean Association, where he leads market and policy analysis to guide strategic decisions and regularly speaks and writes about issues affecting the soybean industry. Prior to joining ASA in 2020, Gerlt was program leader for U.S. crop policy and analysis at the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. His work at FAPRI included involvement in multiple farm bill evaluations for Congress as well as agricultural policy research and outreach. Gerlt holds a Ph.D. in agricultural and applied economics from the University of Missouri.

Dennis Rodenbaugh serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a role he has held since June 2022. He previously served as Executive Vice President of DFA and President of Council Operations and Ingredient Solutions, leading U.S. milk marketing, global marketing operations, and other businesses. Throughout his tenure, Rodenbaugh has held numerous leadership positions across the organization. He also serves as Chairman of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and on several industry boards. Prior to joining DFA, his experience included finance, investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, and the ownership and management of agribusinesses, including dairy farms.

Dr. Justin Benavidez serves as Chief Economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, joining USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist in January 2026. In this role, he leads economic research and analysis supporting USDA policies and programs. Previously, Benavidez served as Chief Economist for the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, where he advised on agricultural policy, production, and economics and evaluated the economic impacts of proposed policies. He also served as an Extension Assistant Professor with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Amarillo. A native of Tulia, Texas, Benavidez earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University.

Josh Garetson serves as Director of Renewable Fuels & Corporate Strategy at John Deere, where he leads the company’s enterprise vision for renewable fuels and supports its global strategy. During more than 23 years with John Deere, Garetson has held roles spanning corporate development, finance, manufacturing, investor relations, operations, and strategic planning. He previously led Ag & Turf Corporate Development, supporting key business growth priorities. Garetson holds degrees in finance, agricultural business, and economics from Iowa State University and an Executive MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Nate Kauffman serves as Senior Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where he provides strategic leadership and oversees regional research and economic outreach in Nebraska. He also serves as Executive Director of the Kansas City Fed’s Center for Agriculture and the Economy, leading efforts to strengthen the Federal Reserve’s connections with agriculture and rural communities. Kauffman regularly engages with agribusiness leaders, producers, and policymakers and provides analysis on economic and agricultural trends. He joined the Federal Reserve in 2012 and earned his Ph.D. in economics from Iowa State University.

Dr. Seth Meyer serves as Director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) and Associate Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Missouri. From 2021 through 2025, he served as USDA’s Chief Economist. Meyer previously led USDA’s World Agricultural Outlook Board, which coordinates global crop assessments and publishes the closely watched WASDE report. He has also served as an economist with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and as a visiting scholar at research institutions worldwide. Meyer earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri.

Dan Glickman served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 to 2001, overseeing federal farm and conservation programs, food safety, agricultural trade, and rural development. Prior to joining USDA, Glickman represented Kansas’ 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years, where he served on the House Agriculture Committee and chaired the subcommittee responsible for federal farm policy. He later served as Chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America and Director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics. Glickman currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.