Dan Manternach
Agriculture speaker Dan Manternach is an award-winning executive, writer, and speaker who talks about a variety of agribusiness and trends.
Fee Range: $ $5,000 - $7,500
Tags: Agriculture Commodity Prices, Employee Retention / Hiring, Farm Safety, Leadership, Succession Planning
FEATURED VIDEOS
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Ag Economist Dan Manternach has been an executive with four of the nation’s leading ag market consulting firms over his career. As former President of Professional Farmers of America, Dan was in high demand addressing events sponsored by ag banks, grain co-ops, other agribusinesses serving farmers and various grower association meetings, trade shows, etc.
He’s been an invited speaker at events in Canada, Mexico, Germany, China and Australia as well. A career highlight was being named Agricultural Communicator of the Year by the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA).
After leaving Pro Farmer in 1999, Dan was hired by Sparks Companies, Inc. (now Informa Economics) as Vice-President for Custom Web Content. In 2003, Dan was recruited by Doane Agricultural Services of St. Louis as Vice-President of Ag Services. In 2015, he was recruited by Roach Ag Marketing of Boca Raton, FL for his current position as Senior Economist and St. Louis Regional Office Director.
Launching Perfect Fit Presentations for customized research and presentations for 3rd party clients while continuing his duties for Roach Ag Marketing has allowed Dan to engage in special applications of his skills and executive experience well beyond commodity marketing. He’s done forensic accounting for parties involved in ag litigation involving product failures or breach of contract. He’s honed popular presentations on business succession planning, executive leadership skills, forming strategic alliances, intrapreneurship, and performance benchmarks for farmers.
Dan Manternach's Programs
THE OUTLOOK FOR GRAIN PRICES & PRUDENT PRICING STRATEGIES
Learning Objectives:
- The 3 most common approaches to grain marketing – with pros & cons of each.
- The importance of separating storage & basis decisions from pricing decisions.
- Developing a flexible “3-speed” approach to pricing – and when to shift gears!
Take Aways:
- The likely range of avg farm prices under 3 alternative 2019 weather scenarios.
- Realistic pricing objectives for each crop in futures now, with current outlook.
- How to know when to adjust those pricing objectives up or down.
THE OUTLOOK FOR LIVESTOCK PRICES & PRUDENT PRICING STRATEGIES
- The best ways to evaluate current pricing opportunities vs forecast 2019 prices.
- The “ABC’s” of technical analysis (how to interpret futures charts).
Take Aways:
- Realistic pricing objectives for cattle, feeder cattle and hogs now, by quarter.
- Knowing when it’s wiser to bear open market risk than to lock in future prices.
- Knowing when purchase of options is less risky than hedging in futures.
FARM SAFETY: Will you set the standard or become a statistic?
1) Overexertion injuries.
2) Slipping/tripping.
3) Reaction injuries.
4) Machinery entanglement.
5) Repetitive motion injuries.
One might wonder how I can inject humor effectively into such a serious topic, but I do it effectively with actual “examples” heard during my 40+ years of doing programs for farmers. These anecdotes are all where no one was hurt (but might have been) during an ill-fated attempt to save time or money, but it proved a costly mistake and when queried by friends or neighbors why he did such a foolish thing, the punchline is always the same, “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
This presentation would wrap up with a 4-step approach to a true safety culture that offers 1) the best ways to assess current safety awareness and practice, 2) the best ways to learn from both accidents and “close calls”, 3) attitudes and practices that must change to have a true “safety first” mentality among all, and 4) effective incentive systems that bring about those needed changes.
LEADERSHIP STYLES: WHY SOME SOAR, SOME SOUR AND SOME STINK!
Learning Objectives:
- Applicable to leading families, civic groups and business associates alike.
- Quick review of pros and cons of 12 most common leadership “styles.”
- Why the make-up of those being led often determines which style works best.
Specific Benefits Participants Will Take Away:
- An objective assessment of their own leadership style at present.
- Knowing how to identify the best style for specific positions and responsibilities.
- Knowing which 2 of the 12 styles most often work best and which 2 rarely work.
PASSING THE BATON – SUCCESSION PLANNING THAT DOESN’T MISS A BEAT!
Learning Objectives:
- Geared to multi-generation family farms and other family-owned businesses.
- Why the “big data” technology boom will accelerate overdue succession.
- The risks and pitfalls of not having a succession plan in place.
Specific Benefits Participants Will Take Away:
- Ways to reach family consensus on motives, goals and timetables of the plan.
- Key steps that must commence long before current “patriarch” actually retires.
- Ways to troubleshoot succession plans that stall, accelerate or “run off the rails” due to unexpected death, long-term illness, business disruption or family drama.
AG PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS – THE KEY TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
Learning Objectives:
- Understanding why you can’t “assume” costs of production are competitive.
- Understanding why you can’t “assume” your marketing skills are competitive.
- How objective “benchmarks” help you measure your competitiveness in both.
Specific Benefits Participants Will Take Away:
- Best sources of these benchmarks across regions, crops & livestock enterprises.
- Ways to exploit areas of competitive advantage benchmarks reveal.
- Ways to troubleshoot areas of competitive weakness that benchmarks expose.
INTRAPRENEURSHIP – KEEPING YOUR BEST & BRIGHTEST FROM BOLTING!
Learning Objectives:
- The critical differences between entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.
- The top 10 things management can do to cultivate intrapreneurship.
- The risks and hazards of not having a culture of intrapreneurship.
- Recognizing intrapreneurship that’s incompatible with company goals.
Specific Benefits Participants Will Take Away:
- Self-assessment of one’s intrapreneurial instincts and potential.
- Knowing the top 4 traits to cultivate if you’re an aspiring intrapreneur.
- Identifying intrapreneurial instincts and potential in others on staff now.
- How to modify or re-direct ambitions of key talent with incompatible ambitions.
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES – COLLABORATING TO COMPETE!
Learning Objectives:
- The critical differences between mergers, acquisitions and alliances.
- The role of corporate strategy, human chemistry and operational management.
- How to negotiate discreetly and effectively without burning bridges.
- The critical difference between “competitors” and firms targeting same markets.
Specific Benefits Participants Will Take Away:
- Knowing how to best assess current and evolving competitive environment.
- Knowing how to identify products and services that “complement” your own.
- The six components of optimal alliance structure.
FORENSIC ECONOMICS: HOW IT CAN BE FRIEND OR FOE IN AG PRODUCT LITIGATION
Learning Objectives:
- Focus is on litigation involving alleged losses in production, prices or both.
- The role forensic economics can play in proving alleged losses.
- The role forensic economics can play in defending against alleged losses.
Specific Benefits Participants Will Take Away:
- Knowing the key steps to mitigate possible litigation upon initial complaints.
- Ways to successfully challenge plaintiff claims on the size of losses suffered.
- Ways to successfully challenge the linkage to product defect or contract breach.
- How to weigh the merits of settling out of court versus going to court.
