Agricultural Bankers Conference: Ag lenders, exhibitors gather in Dubois for annual convention
Ag lenders from across Wyoming gathered in Dubois May 13-14 for the 2026 Agricultural Bankers Conference, hosted by the Wyoming Bankers Association.
Held at the Headwaters Arts and Conference Center, the convention featured two days of engaging speakers and networking opportunities focused on agricultural and rural banking, in addition to a variety of exhibitors.
Speakers covered relevant agricultural issues from weather and water to policy updates and market perspectives, and attendees had the opportunity to tour the National Museum of Military Vehicles.
On opening day, Meteorologist Don Day, Jr. offered a summer weather outlook and Senior Vice President of Agricultural and Rural Banking Policy at the American Bankers Association (ABA) Ed Elfmann provided a federal policy update on issues affecting the ag industry.
Weather outlook
Day established his meteorology company, DayWeather, Inc., in 1992.
His presentation fo-cused on potential scientific causes for Wyoming’s recent unseasonably warm, dry winter and considerations for predicting weather patterns for the rest of 2026.
According to Day, this past season has been a “generational winter” heavily influenced by global weather conditions.
He explained a combination of weak La Niña conditions, the negative phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation and lingering effects from the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption in 2021 created a “perfect storm” for a warm Wyoming winter.
“Those three things together ended up causing extremely warm, dry weather in western North America and very cold weather in the northeastern parts of the U.S.,” Day explained. “The jet stream got stuck this winter, and when the jet stream gets stuck, systems don’t move.”
Looking ahead, Day em-phasized moisture throughout the upcoming month will be vital for determining summer drought conditions.
“This next month is super critical for this part of the country in terms of where we are with drought conditions,” Day stated, adding snowpack conditions have been extremely low, paralleling conditions last recorded in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Still, Day explained he has hope developing El Niño conditions and heightened desert temperatures indicating more monsoons will have a positive impact on moisture this summer and fall, particularly throughout the southern half of Wyoming.
“El Niño is when the sea surface temperatures along the equator between South America and across the Pacific to near Australia get warmer,” Day explained. “Warmer water means more water vapor going into the air, and more water vapor in the air usually means parts of the U.S. get more rain.”
Overall, Day emphasized nothing is set in stone and recommended keeping an eye on developing weather conditions throughout the summer, paying close attention to thunderstorms which bring both moisture and the potential for wildfires.
“We live in part of the North American continent where the weather year-to-year is highly variable,” Day emphasized. “We should never expect our weather from year-to-year to track like the year before, because it doesn’t.”
“Getting rid of drought is like eating an elephant – you just have to chip away at it one little bite at a time,” Day added. “But the onset of El Niño is really good news, along with the fact I do think it’s going to be a good monsoon season which adds moisture to the mix as well.”
Policy update
In his role with ABA, Elfmann works closely with member banks and stakeholders to develop and advance policy affecting agricultural and rural banks.
He opened his presentation with comments on current trends in the agriculture sector, including the ongoing increase in farm consolidation and farm debt.
“Farms are getting bigger, and consolidation is very concerning to me in a couple ways,” Elfmann said, noting consolidated operations often mean less opportunity for diversification and smaller operations are at risk of struggling.
“I think this is something we have to watch a lot in the banking industry especially,” Elfmann stated. “If ag continues to get bigger, we have to figure out how we can help our smallest institutions remain in agriculture.”
On a positive note, Elfmann emphasized he believes there will be an opportunity for the next generation to create diversified operations to fill gaps left by larger producers and stressed the importance of supporting new and beginning agriculturists.
From a policy standpoint, Elfmann discussed the current status of the 2026 Farm Bill, noting it has passed the House and is currently awaiting action by the Senate.
“The Senate is working on it. They’ve got draft language, and I just met with them last week to start talking through some provisions,” Elfmann stated, emphasizing although the timeline on when the Senate version will pass remains uncertain, getting it through the House was a huge accomplishment.
“Do we pass a farm bill by September? I don’t know, but I think getting it through the House was the hardest step,” Elfmann said.
In terms of farm bill highlights for agricultural producers, Elfmann explained the bill permanently extends the Dairy Forward Pricing Program and allows precision agricultural practices for the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program.
Regarding rural health and vitality, Elfmann noted the farm bill expands Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) incentives to include animal protein and expands SNAP benefits to include full-fat fluid milk and hard cheeses. The bill also seeks to create a Rural Childcare Initiative through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase childcare facilities in rural areas.
In addition, Elfmann expressed excitement over a pilot program being considered which would allow small meat processors to sell directly to consumers.
“I think it’s going to be really big for our cow/calf folks, because they’re going to be able to sell to the butcher and the butcher is going to be able to sell it on the market,” Elfmann stated. “It brings new market opportunities.”
Keep an eye out for more coverage on the 2026 Agricultural Bankers Conference in future editions of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
