Protecting America’s Agricultural Markets: An Agricultural Commodity Futures Conference

April 5-6, 2018

Sheraton Overland Park Hotel – Cottonwood Ballroom

Overland Park, Kansas

Agenda 

Thursday, April 5: 

1:00 – 1:10 p.m. Conference Overview 

The Honorable J. Christopher Giancarlo, Chairman, 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 

1:10 – 1:20 p.m. Welcome Remarks 

Dr. John Floros, Dean, Kansas State University College of Agriculture 

and Director, Kansas State University Research and Extension 

1:20 – 1:40 p.m. Keynote 

The Honorable Pat Roberts, U.S. Senator, Kansas, Chairman of the 

Senate Agriculture Committee (invited)

1:40 – 3:25 p.m. Irrational Exuberants, Liquidity Providers, or Both? 

The Role of Speculators in the Futures Markets

• Moderator: Warren Preston, Deputy Chief Economist, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture 

• Researcher: Aaron Smith, Professor, Agricultural and Resource 

Economics, University of California, Davis

• Panelists: 

o Raymond P. H. (Pat) Fische, Professor Distinguished Chair in 

Finance, University of Richmond; Consultant, Office of the 

Chief Economist, Commodity Futures Trading Commission

o David Lehman, Managing Director of Research and Product 

Development, CME Group

o Mike O’Dea, Risk Management Consultant, INTL FCStone, Inc.

o Mykel Taylor, Associate Professor, Kansas State University

3:25 – 3:45 p.m. Break

3:45 – 5:30 p.m. How High Frequency Trading Has Changed the Game

• Moderator: Chuck Marvine, Regional Administrator and Deputy 

Director, Division of Enforcement, Commodity Futures Trading 

Commission

• Researcher: Charles Jones, Robert W. Lear Professor of Finance 

and Economics, Senior Vice Dean, Columbia Business School
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• Panelists: 

o John Michael Huth, Chief Operating Officer, QUANTLAB 

Financial, LLC 

o David Meister, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom 

LLP

o Esen Onur, Economist, Office of the Chief Economist, 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 

o Ed Prosser, Vice President of Agriculture Trading, The Gavilon 

Group, LLC

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Social – Cottonwood Ballroom corridor

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Pre-dinner Discussion

Daniel Gorfine, Director, LabCFTC, Commodity Futures Trading 

Commission

• Topic: The Intersection of Block Chain Technology and Agriculture 

Dinner 

Special Guest Speaker (TBA)

Friday, April 6:

7:15 – 7:45 a.m. Breakfast and Market Update

Andy Busch, Chief Market Intelligence Officer, 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

7:45 – 8:00 a.m. Keynote 

The Honorable Jerry Moran, U.S. Senator, Kansas

8:00 – 9:45 a.m. A Different Animal: Futures Contract Design, Hedging Effectiveness, 

and Transparency in Thinly Traded Cash Markets for Cattle and Hogs

• Moderator: Randy Blach, Chief Executive Officer, CattleFax

• Researchers:

o Ted Schroeder, University Distinguished Professor, Director 

Center for Risk Management Education and Research, 

Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University

o Glynn Tonsor, Professor and Extension Specialist,

Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University

• Panelists: 

o Joe Kovanda, Vice President, Bartlett Cattle Co.

o Christa Lachenmayr, Economist, Division of Market Oversight, 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 

o Jordan Levi, Managing Member, Arcadia Asset Management, 

LLC (invited) 
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o Steve Meyer, Economist, Kerns and Associates

9:45 – 10:00 a.m. Break

10:00 – 11:45 a.m. Trilogy for Troubleshooting Convergence: Manipulation, Structural 

Imbalance, and Storage Rates

• Moderator: Todd Kemp, Senior Vice President of Marketing and 

Treasurer, National Grain and Feed Association

• Researcher: Scott Irwin, Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural 

Marketing, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, 

University of Illinois

• Panelists: 

o Patrick Coyle, Commodity Manager, COFCO International

o Neal Driscoll, Agriculture Portfolio Manager, Citadel 

Investment Group

o Pat Hillegass, Futures Trader

o Gene Kunda, Economist, Division of Market Oversight, 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch

The Honorable Brian Quintenz, Commissioner, 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 

12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Division of Market Oversight Presents: Protecting Customers through 

Oversight of Agricultural Futures Contracts

• Panelists from the CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight: 

o Dave Amato, Supervisory Market Analyst

o Dave Fickert, Market Analyst

o Gene Kunda, Market Analyst

o Christa Lachenmayr, Economist

o Rahul Varma, Acting Deputy Director 

1:45 – 2:00 p.m. Concluding Remarks

The Honorable J. Christopher Giancarlo, Chairman, 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

AgCon2018 is being presented by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Center 

for Risk Management Education and Research at Kansas State University