Dr. David Kohl

Key Note Speaker

Events Center Rooms A & B

     The Colorado Farm Show is proud to present Dr. David Kohl as the Key Note Speaker for the 2007 show.  Everyone is invited to come and listen to Dr. Kohl share cutting edge information in a dynamic format based upon his many years of academic research and working with commercial banks and agrilenders throughout the world.

    Dr. Kohl’s Key Note Address will be broken down into two sessions.  In Session One, Megaforces of Agriculture:  Vision 2010, Dr. Kohl will discuss future trends that will impact the business models and lifestyles of agriculture.  Included in his discussion will be an examination of consumer trends, a global economic walk-about, farm and rural structure changes along with technology, human resource, and global economic trends that are needed in any visionary’s strategic plan.

    In Session Two, Financial Benchmarking 202, Dr. Kohl will assist the producer in understanding the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow based upon Dr. Kohl’s 30 years of experience working with bankers and being a facilitator of the Farm Financial Standards Taskforce.  He will provide benchmarks of key ratios and financial performance indicators, personal financial and investment strategies, and the 72 signs of a business headed south.  This will be an upbeat presentation that takes numbers and incorporates them with the psychology of financing.

    Dr. Kohl has traveled over 5.8 million miles throughout his professional career!  He has conducted more than 4,000 workshops and seminars for agricultural groups such as bankers, Farm Credit, FSA, regulators, and producer and agribusiness groups.  He has published four books and over 400 articles on financial and business-related topics in journals, extension, and other popular publications.  He regularly writes for Farm Journal, Top Producer, Ag Lender, Journal of Agricultural Lending, and Soybean Digest.

    He has received 11 major teaching awards while teaching over 10,000 students, and 15 major Extension and Public Service awards from Virginia Tech, Cornell University, and state and national organizations.  Dr. Kohl is a two-time recipient of the prestigious American Agricultural Economics Association's Outstanding Teaching Award.  He received the Governor's award for his distinguished service to Virginia agriculture, the youngest recipient to receive this award.

    Dr. Kohl has addressed the American Bankers Agricultural Conference for 28 consecutive years and has appeared before numerous state bankers’ schools and conferences throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the world.

    David Kohl received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University.  From August 1978 through June 2003, Kohl was Professor of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia.  From June 1999 through May 2001, Dr. Kohl was on special leave working on cutting-edge initiatives that will strategically position the Royal Bank of Canada in the marketplace.  Afterwards, he resumed his academic duties at Virginia Tech.  Dr. Kohl is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech.

    If you would like to keep up with Kohl’s information and perspectives, you can find his weekly columns on the following websites:

            Ag Globe Trotter:  www.farm-credit.com  

            Ag Globe Trotter:  www.agstar.com  (Member Services)

            Road Warrior of Agriculture:  www.cornandsoybeandigest.com