Over the first half of the year, Dr. David Kohl has traveled across 25 states, speaking on a range of topics and hearing from farmers, ranchers and producers about what they’re seeing on the ground.

With his firsthand view of the challenges facing agriculture, Dr. Kohl, professor emeritus of agricultural finance and small business management and entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech University, will once again join Lynn Paulson at Bell’s 12th annual AgViews Live on July 20-22.

Ahead of this year’s event, we caught up with Dr. Kohl to talk about what’s changed since last year, what attendees can expect, and what he hopes they can take away.

What do you enjoy most about AgViews Live?

I appreciate the opportunity to work with Bell Bank every year. What I like about the Bell team is that they’re very engaged. They’re a return-on-relationship bank, and they know people are important.

Beyond that, I enjoy the farmers and ranchers and the agribusiness people that come each and every year. It’s almost like a summer reunion. Many of them will bring their children and grandchildren to the event, and seeing the next generation in attendance always gets me energized. Over 12 years of doing AgViews Live, people started bringing their kids when they were young, and now those kids are involved in the operation. I think that’s amazing.

And of course I always enjoy partnering with Lynn, and doing the audience question portion of the event. Lynn and I aren’t filtered – we tell it like it is. I think the audience really appreciates that. 

What are some of the most significant changes we’ve seen in the economy, and in agriculture in general, since the last AgViews Live?

I would say the conflict in Iran is the biggest thing. A significant share of farm expenses are connected to oil, and so fertilizer and fuel costs are way up from a year ago.

I was asked the other day, what’s different about today compared to the 1970s? We had an oil crisis then too, but the difference is, in this conflict we’ve blown up infrastructure, and you don’t replace that overnight. So that could mean we’ll have tail risk into 2027 or 2028 that could impact the rest of the world. We’re going to have volatility in the extremes around that. That’s the big one right there.

And then beyond that we have tariffs, and Mother Nature throwing us curveballs in different parts of the country, and the acceleration of AI. There are a lot of things, and we’ll touch on all of these at AgViews Live. One of the things we’re really going to stress is that with all of these factors, we’ve gone from “just-in-time” management to “just-in-case” management. That’s a big change that’s occurred in the last 12 months.

The ag economy is currently bifurcated, with the protein sector doing well while grain producers face headwinds. What are some good management tips for both sectors?

Whether you’re at the top of the cycle or the bottom, taking ownership of your financials is so important. Your financials aren’t just for your bank – they’re for your ownership. And when I say take ownership, that means doing cash flows to stay ahead of the game. You know your cost of production and your break-even, and you establish guardrails to help you make objective decisions instead of emotional decisions.

The key across both sectors is a good marketing and risk management program. A lot of people brag they have a good program, and they may talk up their plan, but they don’t execute or monitor. And then their plan doesn’t mean much.

The final thing I’d mention is the importance of having an advisory team, and that can often include a lender. A lot of people say they pick their lender based on convenience or finding the lowest rate, but it should actually be about the return on their relationship. Getting input and asking advice when times are good and when they’re bad. That’s key.

What do you hope people take away from this year’s AgViews Live?

The biggest thing is, I hope people can come in and hear both the positive and what you might call the reality check. I hope they think beyond their farm or ranch and beyond their individual business, and think globally and big picture.

The second thing is, I hope there’s something they can take back to implement in their business, family or personal life. I really stress the personal and family aspect of this, because you have to be deliberate in investing there.

And lastly, if they have a question, bring it, write it out, and hopefully we’ll have a forum for some of the questions that are top of mind.

The theme of this year’s AgViews Live is “The time is now for clarity, action, and hard decisions.” What does that mean?

It’s all about knowing where you stand financially and taking ownership of your numbers, and about thinking strategically about your business. Sometimes it’s not about your growth – sometimes you need to get better before you get bigger.

Last winter, I had a producer tell me how they lost $300,000 a couple years in a row. So, they started doing monthly and quarterly cash flow, adhered to a marketing and risk plan, and started seeking base hits instead of home runs. They talked to their family, cut their living expenses, and after getting some government payments, turned that negative $300,000 into a positive $75,000.

That is a case illustration of a person who took the bull by the horns and didn’t wait around. They were proactive vs. reactive. You can’t wait until next year hoping that times will get better. You have to take accountability for yourself, and that’s the mindset we hope people take away from this year’s event.

This article was published in the Q2 2026 issue of our AgViews newsletter.