AgCeptional Conference

The AgCeptional Conference provides a full day of learning, inspiration, and networking for those involved in the agricultural industry. Each year, the event draws nearly 350 attendees from across the region on the Friday before Thanksgiving. This year, the conference committee announced a new partnership with the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. The collaboration will strengthen the conference’s educational impact and provide additional resources and opportunities for participants.

NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR: the 2026 AgCeptional Conference will be held in West Point, Nebraska, at the Nielsen Community Center. The move, scheduled for November 20, 2026, opens new possibilities for the event, including vendor exhibits, and a social hour to close out the day. Registration will open September 1, 2026.

Past Spotlight Award Winners

• 2025 - Kristen Sindelar
• 2024 - Sarah Polacek
• 2023 - Hilary Maricle
• 2022 - Anita Keys
• 2021 - Joan Ruskamp
• 2020 - Lisa Kruger
• 2019 - Lisa Lunz
• 2018 - Shana Beattie
• 2017 - Liz Doerr
• 2016 - Anne Meis
• 2015 - Karen Grant
• 2014 - Dawn Winkelbauer
• 2013 - Jan Frenzen
• 2012 - Nancy Kirkholm
• 2011 - Jan Miller
• 2010 - Bonnie Schulz 

Session 1

• Rooted Identity: When Branches Shake - Lauren Bondy: Many women spend years building their identity around roles, responsibilities, achievements, and the expectations of others. But what happens when those roles change, dreams shift, or life doesn't go according to plan? Using a simple tree framework, this interactive workshop helps participants explore the difference between the branches of life—the titles and responsibilities we carry—and the roots that truly define who we are. Through reflection, discussion, and practical exercises, attendees will identify where they have tied their worth to performance and leave with a stronger understanding of the unshakable truths that remain steady through every season.
• Rural Ready: First Aid for Ag Producers - Ashley Ahrens: Agriculture is one of the most high-risk environments to live and work in; especially for those who manage multiple roles both on and off the farm. When medical help is miles away, knowing what to do in the first critical minutes can make all the difference. Rural Ready: First Aid for Ag Producers is a hands-on, confidence-building workshop designed for the realities of farm and ranch life. Participants will learn practical first aid skills they can use immediately, including how to control severe bleeding, perform hands-only CPR, stabilize fractures and sprains using simple materials, recognize life-threatening emergencies, and communicate effectively with 911 in remote locations. This session emphasizes a “use what you have” approach, incorporating everyday items like towels, bandanas, and vet wrap instead of relying on traditional first aid kits. Through demonstrations and small-group practice, participants will leave better prepared to respond with confidence when emergencies happen.
• Hot Topics, Emerging Threats & What’s Ahead for the Beef Industry - Lindsay Waechter-Mead: This timely, engaging workshop will explore the current issues, emerging threats, and critical topics shaping the beef industry today. Participants will examine issues such as the New World screwworm and Asian longhorned tick, along with market dynamics, animal health, sustainability, production practices, policy, and consumer expectations.
• What Are the Numbers Telling You - Flint Corliss: Bookkeeping is more than a year-end task for tax preparation—it is one of the most valuable tools for managing a successful farm or ranch business. This workshop will help participants understand how accurate financial records can be used to evaluate profitability, assess financial strength, and support better decision-making. Through practical examples and real-world farm scenarios, attendees will learn the purpose of key financial statements, identify important financial indicators, and gain confidence in using financial information to guide their operations. Whether you manage the books or simply want to better understand the numbers, this session will provide useful tools and insights for your farm business.

Session 2

• Drinking Water Essentials to Protect Your Family - UNL Extension Water Team: Get confident about the water you and your animals rely on every day. This workshop explores the essentials of safe drinking water. Participants will learn how to protect their well, test water, make sense of the results, and choose effective treatment options, while also gaining insight into potential health risks linked to poor-quality water. With practical tips, interactive demonstrations, and trusted local resources, this workshop empowers you to take informed action to protect the water used by the entire family.
• Building a Fundable Farm Project - Ben Beckman: Have an idea that could improve your farm, ranch, business, or community, but aren’t sure how to move it forward? This interactive session will help participants turn a general idea or challenge into a clear, workable project concept that can support grant applications, partnership development, and other funding opportunities. We will explore how to define the need, develop realistic activities, involve the right partners, identify measurable outcomes, and share results with others. Participants will use a guided exercise to begin shaping a project of their own. Along the way, we will discuss what makes a project attractive to funders, introduce SARE and other potential sources of support, and consider how to match a strong project idea with the right opportunity.
• What’s the Real Cost to Grow & Sell Specialty Crops - Carol Waters & Glennis McClure: Do you know what it really costs to produce those fresh, local specialty crops your customers love? Are there additional costs to budget for when going organic? From seed to market, every input counts—and understanding your true cost of production is key to setting prices, managing risk, and maximizing profits. In this session, together we’ll explore how the Ag Budget Calculator (ABC) program can help you build accurate, customized enterprise budgets for the specialty crops you grow and sell. We’ll walk through creating an ABC account and getting started with key information to enter when creating enterprise budgets. Whether you’re already marketing produce or just starting to scale up your operation, learn how the ABC program can become a practical tool in your farm management toolbox.
• Managing Debt Both Ag and Non-Ag - Dave Haupt: Dave has seen many producers succeed and some producers fail, or at least stumble. Those who can manage the liability side of the balance sheet most adeptly seem to experience significantly more success. Dave will discuss balance sheet structure, capital spending discipline, controlling consumer debt, and other related topics. The presentation will include personal experiences, looking at some sample balance sheets to discuss structure, one or two case studies, and some general philosophies around debt ratios.

Session 3

• The Importance of Whole Wheat - UNL Extension Food & Nutrition: Consumers determine their food choices by their experiences. This program focuses on helping participants understand the difference between wheat foods and whole wheat foods all while learning the importance of whole grains in daily meals. Consuming whole grains contributes to a diet rich in fiber, reducing disease and cancer risks, improves digestion and can help to control blood sugars. Participants will engage in the steps of making a wholesome whole wheat loaf of bread ready to take home to bake.
• Prevention Plates: Reducing Your Risk by Rethinking Your Drink - Hannah Guenther: Reducing Your Risk: Rethinking Your Drink focuses on the connection between alcohol consumption and cancer risk while equipping participants with practical strategies to reduce their intake. This interactive session explores evidence-based cancer prevention recommendations, including how alcohol can influence cancer risk and why reducing consumption can benefit overall health. Participants will learn simple approaches for drinking less without sacrificing the social experience, including how to create flavorful, satisfying mocktails. Through hands-on mocktail making and realistic “small shifts,” participants will leave with practical ideas for rethinking their drink and supporting long-term health and cancer prevention.
• Windbreaks: More Than Just Rows of Trees - Pam Bergstrom: Windbreaks have been part of Nebraska’s agricultural landscape for generations, but they are far more than rows of trees planted to stop the wind. Join Pam Bergstrom, Agroforester for the Nebraska Forest Service, for a look at the history of windbreaks in Nebraska and across the Great Plains, how windbreaks work, and how we design them today. Discover the different types of windbreaks and the many ways they can benefit farms, ranches, livestock, crops, soil, wildlife, and rural communities. We’ll also look toward the future and explore how windbreaks can continue to play an important role in Nebraska agriculture. Whether you’re new to windbreaks or have lived with them for years, there’s more to these rows of trees than meets the eye!
• Don't Drown in Paperwork - Jessica Groskopf: Receipts, invoices, tax returns, warranties, legal documents… are you drowning in your operations paperwork? You don’t have to be. This session is a life saver that will offer practical strategies for setting up a record-keeping system that works for you. We’ll cover everything from organizing and securely storing key documents to integrating your paper trail with your digital records.

Sponsorship Page

Become an AgCeptional Conference Sponsor and connect with a passionate community of producers, innovators, leaders, and advocates who are shaping the ag industry. This is more than visibility. It’s a chance to align your organization with excellence, innovation, and real impact. 

We get it, weather and life events happen. Here's our cancellation policy:

• Cancel by November 13, 2026 to receive a full refund.
• Cancellations on November 16–17, 2026 will receive a 50% refund.
• No refunds will be issued for cancellations on or after November 18, 2026.

Let us simplify the process for you. Request a custom promo code, and your students, clients, or employees can easily register themselves for the conference. After the event, we’ll send you an invoice for all registrations made using your code. Organizations that sponsor 8 or more registrations will be recognized with a listing in the conference program and on the event slideshow. 

Request a promo code here

Rounding out the conference will be a "Shop Local Kickoff" event where conference attendees are invited to socialize and shop! Please fill out the survey below if your business is interested in being a vendor.

Vendor Interest Form

General Information:

• Booth size: 10'x20'
• Fee: $250.00
• Electricity available; tables available upon request (table coverings not provided)
• Set-up time:  1:00-3:00PM (there will be no selling of merchandise allowed at this time)
• Shop Small Kickoff hours of operation: 3:30-6:00PM