CFTC hosts agricultural derivatives conference in Kansas

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CFTC agricultural derivatives conference

Highlights

CFTC and Kansas State University hosted AgCon 2026 in Overland Park, Kansas, gathering industry leaders to address agricultural derivatives, risk management tools, and market volatility.
Conference panels discussed rising production costs, volatile commodity prices, supply chain disruptions, and reviewed emerging instruments such as perpetual futures, 24/7 trading, and tokenized collateral.
Key policymakers including CFTC Chairman Selig, USDA Deputy Secretary Vaden, and Senator Marshall highlighted new policy directions, market integrity, and legislative priorities impacting U.S. agricultural commodities.

Conference agenda and policy focus

As reported by Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the agency and the Risk Management Center at Kansas State University co-hosted the 2026 Agricultural Commodity Futures Conference, known as AgCon, last week in Overland Park, Kansas. The event brings together industry leaders, policymakers and market participants to discuss challenges in the agricultural economy, developments in derivatives markets and the risk management tools used by farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses.

CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig and Kansas State University President Richard Linton welcome attendees on the opening day. After Selig's remarks, panels examine the relationship between cash and derivatives markets, changes in commodity contracts and the role of effective hedging tools for agricultural producers.

Other sessions address access to agricultural credit and the financial pressures facing producers and merchants. Afternoon discussions focus on rising production costs, volatile commodity prices, supply chain disruptions and broader strains on the farm economy, while participants also review perpetual futures, 24/7 trading and tokenized collateral and their implications for agricultural risk management.

Implications for U.S. agricultural markets

CFTC Chief Advisor Alex Titus and White House Council of Economic Advisers member Aaron Hedlund examine the U.S. economic outlook, agricultural trade and policies shaping American agriculture. The first day ends with a keynote address from U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden.

On the second day, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas opens proceedings with a keynote on agricultural policy and legislative priorities for American producers. Subsequent discussions cover agricultural prediction markets, the use of data in commodity markets, event contracts, superintelligence, information advantages and market integrity.

Selig also joins Futures Industry Association President and CEO Walt Lukken for a fireside chat on the Commission's priorities, the changing regulatory landscape and developments shaping derivatives markets. The conference closes with sessions on improving public understanding of markets through data and customer education, along with a panel on clearing, market access and the role of intermediaries in derivatives markets.

We previously reported on the Strait of Hormuz shipping disruption starting to hit agricultural harvests, with higher fuel and transport costs and interruptions to fertilizer flows pushing up operating expenses across the food supply chain. That strain, layered on top of other weather- and geopolitics-driven shocks, was linked to rising agricultural commodity prices and elevated food-security risks in import-dependent regions.

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