The Commodity Classic is set to launch Feb. 25-27 as farmers from across the nation prepare to descend on San Antonio, Texas for the gathering’s 30th anniversary. You can still register to attend by visiting the Commodity Classic website.
“Commodity Classic is one of the best trade shows you could go to,” said Kenneth Hartman Jr., immediate past president and chairman of the board of the National Corn Growers Association.
The show connects exhibitors focused on row crop products and services face-to-face with America’s farmers. “We’ve got over 400 exhibitors this year,” said Hartman. “All the large companies will be there.”
Thirty-plus educational sessions will cover precision agriculture, market trends, policy updates, and proven strategies from successful farmers.
“These sessions cover the spectrum, from crop protection to grain storage to nutrient management, equipment and seeding, as well as learning new technologies in ag business,” said Hartman. Many sessions qualify for CEUs toward the American Society of Agronomy’s Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program.
To help farmers forge a trail through the commodities market, Farm Progress, Farm Futures and Channel Seed will present: “Bull or Bear? This is More Than an 8-Second Ride,” at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25. At this early riser session grain marketing experts Ed Usset and Ted Seifried provide outlook and analysis to help farmers hold their seat in the 2026 market rodeo. Usset, University of Minnesota economist and author of Grain Marketing is Simple: It’s just not Easy, and Seifried, vice president of Zaner Ag Hedge, will offer commodity marketing strategies designed for resilience. This session is eligible for professional development CEUs.
Farm Progress and Channel Seed also team up to rope “Profit Planning Strategies for Today’s Farm Operations,” at 12:30 on Friday Feb. 27. This learning center session, hosted by Mike Pearson of This Week in Agribusiness, focuses on practical profit strategies in marketing, agricultural climatology and agronomy. Guests are Seifried; Tyler Vreugdenhil,
technical agronomist for Channel; and Aaron Wilson, state climatologist, and ag weather specialist at Ohio State University. This session is also eligible for professional development CEUs.
General session
The General Session closes out Commodity Classic on the morning of Feb. 27 and includes remarks from leaders of the five presenting organizations: American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Sorghum Producers, and Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
The closing reception immediately follows the General Session.
Association meetings, awards celebrations, and PAC events will take place throughout the week. “We have what we call our corn congress, discussions with delegates from all the different states,” said Hartman. “States bring recommendations, we debate these and put the policies together for policy discussions in Washington.”
Hartman encourages farmers to get involved in their commodity associations to help build markets and ensure science-based policy.
“A lot of the farm bill items over the years have come from grower policy sessions,” he added. “Our number one priority is creating markets, and domestically, that’s E15. Internationally it’s about exports across the world. We’re also looking at sustainable aviation fuel, and the latest thing we’re looking at is marine fuel for ships going across the ocean.”
Hartman said his organization worked with MAHA (Making America Healthy Again) to share concerns about pesticides that farmers need.
“We want safe food but we felt there were things being put in MAHA reports that were not science based,” he said. “We want to keep that next generation coming back on the farm and the only way we can do that is to work on markets and keep the tools that keep farmers profitable.”
Full Conference Registration Includes Trade show access, Welcome Reception (Wednesday), Lunch (Thursday & Friday), Educational sessions (Learning Center, Early Riser, What’s New, Mini What’s New), Main Stage presentations, and complimentary access to select session recordings. Download the schedule here.