NCFC President and CEO Duane Simpson was the opening speaker for our Co-op Conference 2026. He gave a great update on the state of the political world in Washington, D.C., and across the nation.

Other topics included a panel discussion with East River Electric Coop and SDN Communications on REA's energy supply and the basics of data centers, a grain and biofuel economic update from CoBank, the status of the Railways from BNSF, and the mindset of high-functioning cooperative boards from the University of Missouri.

CHS CEO Jay Debertin was the Keynote Speaker, who highlighted the values of successful cooperatives and the benefits they bring to all of us.