Why do you attend Top Producer Summit?
Matthew Krueger: "Events back home are always on the 101 level, Top Producer Summit is a
301, 401 level of information when comparing to college type courses."
ANNIE DEE
2016 Top Producer of the Year Finalist
Q: Tell us about your farm.
Dee River Ranch is a family farm and ranch, located in Aliceville, Ala. It is operated by my twin sons, Seth and Jesse More, my brother Mike and myself. We raise corn, soybeans, cattle and timber. We practice regenerative farming using no-till, conservation tillage, cover crops and irrigation.
Q: Why have you attended so many Top Producer Summits?
There are many reasons I love to attend Top Producer Summit. Interacting with the top farmers in the country is so important in helping me think about farm challenges in different ways to help us solve some of our challenges.
The social part of the event allows me to be around other people with similar lifestyles and values. I always learn so much from the presentations. The succession planning has been extremely helpful for our operation. We hired a firm to help us with the process that I first came in contact with at Top Producer Summit. I love the learning opportunities as well as the socialization of the whole event.
MARTY KLINKER
2000 Top Producer of the Year
Q: Tell us about your farm.
I own and operate a cereal grains and cattle operation on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains in the north central region of Montana on about 13,000 acres. We raise malt barley for MillerCoors and Malteurop, as well as winter wheat, spring Wheat, canola, alfalfa and forage. We run a 400-head cow-calf operation that includes long yearlings sold as Verified Natural (VNB) and Hormone Free (NHIC) from our summer grass.
Q: Why have you attended so many Top Producer Summits?
I found Top Producer to be a conference that could feed my thirst to learn or develop new cropping concepts and/or business models. The Midwest farming practices were far enough away from my farming community that I was able to listen and learn without prejudice of already being familiar. Getting to know other progressive producers and hearing their challenges and successes helped me to keep my own challenges and successes in proper perspective, and to be confident and focused on my direction versus the easy plowed path of replicating what other producers are doing.
