On April 30, 2025, Saul Ewing LLP hosted its third annual Connectors Conference: Focus on Food, Beverage and Agribusiness at the Minneapolis Club in downtown Minneapolis. The conference featured agribusiness leaders, operators, dealmakers, legal experts and technology innovators who gathered to discuss the latest trends and challenges facing the industry. The conference featured a keynote presentation by Dr. Michael Swanson, agricultural economist for Wells Fargo, followed by three separate speaker panels of industry leaders and legal experts. The panels covered Hot Topics in the Headlines, State of the Deal Market – Food, Beverage, and Agribusiness Transactions, and Emerging Trends in Food and Agriculture.
In his keynote address, Dr. Swanson provided a look at macro and micro issues and trends impacting the economy generally and the food, beverage and agribusiness industries specifically. He also explored recent developments at the US federal level, including tariffs, and how those developments might impact producers and consumers. Dr. Swanson shared his thoughts on the likelihood of an economic recession and the direction of the market in general, based on data collected regarding GDP, personal consumption expenditures, monthly international trade flows, food manufacturing statistics, net trade, and sales and inventory at grocery stores.
Following Dr. Swanson’s keynote address, the conference continued with the first speaker panel – “Hot Topics in the Headlines: What You Need To Know” – which was a discussion of national news headline topics in agriculture from the lens of owner/operator CEOs. The panel was moderated by Kermit Nash, Partner and Co-Chair of the Food, Beverage & Agribusiness Industry Group at Saul Ewing LLP, and featured James Dell (Alcivia), Justin Bruch (Clear Frontier) and Scott Steffes (Steffes Group). This panel discussed farmland investments and ownership succession in the upper Midwest, the farm economy in general, real estate as a driving force in farm value and purchase price valuation, and the demand for organic acres as an investment class.
The second speaker panel – “State of the Deal Market – Food, Beverage, and Agribusiness Transactions” – focused on the state of the food, beverage and agribusiness deal market. The panel was moderated by David Sartorio, Partner at Saul Ewing LLP, and included MacGregor Wilkie (Harrison Co.), Karlien Zumpolle (Cargill, Inc.) and Michael Mulgrew (SunOpta, Inc.). In terms of the M&A deal market, the panelists agreed that the beginning of 2025 has been sluggish, with deals taking longer as a response to the uncertain market conditions. The panelists also noted that the current market conditions provide opportunity for more creativity and alternative options/strategies for financing and lending transactions. Additionally, strategic sellers and buyers understand that the current market conditions are requiring additional diligence and vetting which are further lengthening transaction timelines.
The third speaker panel – “Emerging Trends in Food and Agriculture” – concluded the event. The panelists for this session were Tammie Miller (TKO Miller), Todd Peterson (Happy and Health Products, Inc. & Spring Hill Capital) and Chuck Tyron (Bushel Boy Farms). Max Bremer, Partner and Minneapolis Office Managing Partner at Saul Ewing LLP, served as the moderator. The panel examined emerging trends in the food, beverage and agribusiness industry. The panelists noted that consumer interests in health-conscious decisions are shifting key industry trends towards sustainable food production, better-for-you products and AI technologies equipment. Investments in these areas help agribusinesses stay ahead of the curve to meet consumer demands.
About the event organizer: Saul Ewing LLP attorneys aid food, beverage and agribusiness enterprises in rising to today’s global and environmental challenges by bringing innovative and practical advice to the industry. With deep industry experience and comprehensive capabilities, our team helps clients address the complexities of modern food, beverage and agricultural production, manufacturing and distribution and devise holistic approaches and solutions. From family farms to large agribusiness conglomerates, start-up food and beverage companies to mature public companies, and all the companies that service these businesses, Saul Ewing represents clients across the spectrum of food, beverage and agricultural production, distribution and investment. A special thank you to our keynote speaker, Dr. Swanson, and each panelist for making our third annual Connectors Conference: Focus on Food, Beverage and Agribusiness a success.
