Keynote Speakers | Agricultural Bankers Conference

2023 Keynote Speakers

Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.), House Agriculture Committee Chairman

A strong advocate for rural businesses and access to quality health care, Thompson has served in the U.S. House since 2009. The lifelong resident of Howard, Pa., represents Pennsylvania’s 15th District. He is currently the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Prior to his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Thompson spent 28 years as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager and a licensed nursing home administrator.

Hall of Fame Coach Sherri Coale

In her 25-year career as head coach of the University of Oklahoma's women's basketball team, Sherri Coale led her teams to 3 Final Fours, 19 straight NCAA tournament appearances and multiple Big 12 championships. The Hall of Fame coach is a masterful storyteller who will share how collaboration and teamwork drive achievement and results.

Shawn Hackett, President & CEO, Hackett Financial Advisors

A frequent contributor to Barron’s, Futures Magazine, Reuters, Bloomberg, US Farm Report, Ag-TV, Market to Market-IPTV as well as a regular radio show contributor for the likes of Chip Flory-AgriTalk After The Bell, Susan Littlefield Fontanelle After the Bell-Michell Rook-AgDay and Linda Brekke-The Linda Network, Ag commodities expert Shawn Hackett has dedicated his life to educating Ag industry leaders and farmers about financial risk management, hedging and the utility of indicator-based Ag commodity price forecasting tools. His extensive research on long-term cycles and statistics on climate, currencies, geopolitics, and global capital flows have long been a key differentiating factor for Shawn’s price forecasting skills.

Peterson Farm Brothers

The Peterson Farm Bros are made up of Greg (32), Nathan (29), and Kendal (26) Peterson. We are brothers who farm together with our families near Assaria, KS. We produce entertaining and educational videos on our YouTube channel and post farming and video updates to our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat). Ever since we began producing content, we have realized a need to inform people about what we do in farming and in agriculture as a whole. There are many misconceptions about modern day farmers and we feel led to help correct some of those misconceptions. Aside from our production on social media, we travel around the country to speak/entertain. We also blog about misunderstood topics in agriculture and open up our farm for tours, weddings, and overnight stays on Airbnb. Through all of this we hope to educate the general public on where their food comes from and what a real Midwest family farm looks like!

Delaney Howell, Host, Ag News Daily Podcast

Delaney Howell is the creator of the podcast Ag News Daily and founder of the Global Ag Network, a community of podcasts that offers the latest news and information relevant to the agriculture industry. She is also the former host of the 46-year-old agribusiness show “Market to Market.”

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

Dr. Kohl currently energizes agricultural lenders, producers, and businesspeople with his keen insight into the agricultural industry gained through extensive travel, research, and exposure during his career.  He has traveled over 9 million miles in his career; conducted more than 6,000 workshops and seminars for agricultural audiences; published more than 2,100 articles; and writes for many leading publications.  Kohl has addressed the American Bankers Agricultural Conference for more than 40 consecutive years.  Dr. Kohl was recently inducted into the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Hall of Fame.  Dr. Kohl’s personal involvement with agriculture and interaction with key industry players provide a unique perspective into future trends of the agricultural industry and economy.