WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Registration is now open for Purdue University’s annual Top Farmer Conference, one of the country’s longest-running and most successful management programs designed specifically for farmers. Hosted by Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture, the conference will take place 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, at Purdue’s Beck Agricultural Center in West Lafayette. Participants may attend in person or join remotely via Zoom.
The Purdue Top Farmer Conference gathers agricultural producers and agribusiness professionals looking for practical insights and research-backed strategies to navigate a constantly changing agricultural landscape. The one-day program features faculty and staff experts from the Center for Commercial Agriculture along with invited speakers from across the country who will share perspectives on global competitiveness, market trends, farm management, and policy and trade developments shaping the future of U.S. agriculture.
“The Top Farmer Conference is designed to help producers critically examine the economic forces influencing agriculture and the decisions they can make today to position their operations for long-term success,” said Michael Langemeier, director of the Center for Commercial Agriculture and professor of agricultural economics. “This year’s program takes a close look at challenges like trade, costs and competitiveness and shows how farmers can turn these into opportunities for success.”
Sessions at the conference will cover a broad range of topics, including agricultural markets, trade policy and farm management strategies. Ben Brown, senior research associate with the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, will share his long-term outlook for corn and soybean markets. An expert in agricultural policy and market analysis, Brown will discuss key factors shaping crop prices, global demand and how future farm programs may impact producers in the years ahead.
Russell Hillberry, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue and former economist with the U.S. International Trade Commission and the World Bank, will examine how recent U.S. tariff increases and retaliatory actions have affected domestic agricultural exports. Hillberry will explore the implications of higher trade barriers for crop producers, particularly those in export-oriented sectors such as soybeans.
Langemeier and Joana Colussi, research assistant professor of agricultural economics at Purdue, will draw on their work with agri benchmark, an international network that compares production costs and returns for major agricultural commodities worldwide. They will compare production costs and returns across agricultural regions, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Ukraine and the U.S. to provide insights into the evolving competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.
Trey Malone, associate professor of agricultural economics and the Boehlje Chair for Managerial Economics in Agribusiness at Purdue, will introduce “option thinking,” a mindset drawn from business strategy and innovation management that helps farmers make incremental decisions today while keeping flexibility for the future. His session will assist participants in identifying opportunities and adapting to uncertainty in a changing market environment.
The conference will conclude with an expert panel featuring Langemeier and Purdue agronomy faculty members Dan Quinn and Shaun Casteel, who will provide actionable approaches to help reduce costs per bushel in 2026.
Session topics and presenters:
- “Welcome and Insights From the Most Recent Ag Economy Barometer” — Langemeier, professor and director, Center for Commercial Agriculture, Purdue
- “Long-Run Outlook for Corn and Soybeans” — Brown, senior research associate, Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri
- “The Effects of Tariffs on Export-Oriented Agriculture” — Hillberry, professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue
- “Competitiveness of U.S. Corn and Soybean Production” — Colussi, research assistant professor, Center for Commercial Agriculture, Purdue; and Langemeier
- “Using Option Thinking To Explore Opportunities” — Malone, associate professor and Boehlje Chair in Managerial Economics for Agribusiness, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue
- “Strategies To Reduce Your Cost Per Bushel in 2026” — Quinn, assistant professor, Department of Agronomy, Purdue; Casteel, professor, Department of Agronomy, Purdue; and Langemeier
Registration costs $150. For full agenda details and to register, visit purdue.ag/topfarmer. Conference recordings and slide deck presentations will be available only to registered participants.
The event is sponsored by Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture and Farm Credit Mid-America.
About the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture
The Center for Commercial Agriculture was founded in 2011 to provide professional development and educational programs for farmers. Housed within Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural Economics, the center’s faculty and staff develop and execute research and educational programs that address the different needs of managing in today’s business environment.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/
