Keynote Speakers | Agricultural Bankers Conference

2025 Keynote Speakers

Jackson Hataway, President and CEO, Missouri Bankers Association

Jackson Hataway has led the Missouri Bankers Association since April 2022. He started at MBA in 2019 as SVP of communications, marketing and member services and later spearheaded its outreach to banks about the Paycheck Protection Program during the pandemic. Prior to MBA, Hataway was a strategist and communications consultant for financial institutions and banking/trade associations with Strategic Arts and Sciences.

Jason Henderson, Ph.D., Vice President, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Jason Henderson is a nationally recognized expert in ag and rural issues. As Vice President for Extension and Outreach at Iowa State University, he leads statewide public engagement and research-based education across areas including 4-H Youth Development and Agriculture and Natural Resources. Henderson was previously Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where he led efforts to monitor and analyze agricultural and rural economies. He holds a master’s and doctorate in agricultural economics from Purdue University.

David M. Kohl, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship, Virginia Tech

Dr. Dave Kohl is an academic Hall of Famer in the College of Agriculture at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. Dr. Kohl has keen insight into the agriculture industry gained through extensive travel, research, and involvement in ag businesses. He has traveled over 10 million miles; conducted more than 7,000 presentations; and published more than 2,500 articles in his career. Dr. Kohl’s wisdom and engagement with all levels of the industry provide a unique perspective into future trends.

Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist, Conduit Ag

Eric Snodgrass is a Principal Atmospheric Scientist who develops predictive, analytical software solutions to manage weather risk for global production agriculture. He provides frequent weather updates that focus on how high-impact weather events influence global agriculture productivity. His current research uses machine learning to better understand field-level weather impacts on yields in the U.S. and to increase confidence in long-range weather prediction. He presents his research as a featured speaker at over 100 conferences annually where he provides logistical guidance and solutions to weather sensitive financial institutions, farmers, commodity traders and other stakeholders.

Jackson Takach, Chief Economist and Vice President of Strategy, Research and Analytics, Farmer Mac

Jackson Takach is a lead author and creator of The Feed, Farmer Mac’s publication on ag and the rural economy, and regularly presents to lenders, producers and industry experts. Takach joined the Farmer Mac team in 2005. He holds a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University, a master’s in business administration and a master’s in finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He has also been a CFA charterholder since 2012 and sits on the board of AgAnalytics and AcreValue.

Cassy England, Southern Arizona Farmer & Agricultural Business Leader

Panelist: Women in Ag Banking Lunch

Cassy England is a fourth-generation farmer from Pinal County, Arizona, where she co-manages her family’s cotton, alfalfa and small grains operation. With a degree in accounting and over 20 years of hands-on experience, she oversees both the financial and day-to-day sides of the business. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Arizona Cotton Growers Association and is set to become its first female president.

Lydia Wagy, Assistant Vice President, Regional Missouri Bank

Panelist: Women in Ag Banking Lunch

Lydia Wagy helps lead everything from consumer to commercial lending at Regional Missouri Bank, where she has spent her entire 10-year banking career. Wagy’s love for agriculture was cultivated from growing up on a diversified farm near Brunswick, Mo., that raised row crops, cattle, produce and pecans.