Speaker Bios

Paul Neiffer, CPA is a thought leader on income and estate tax planning services and FSA planning related to farmers and their families. Paul is past president of the Farm Financial Standards Council and past chairperson of the AICPA Ag Conference.  He writes the “FarmCPA” column for Top Producer magazine along with their Top Producer Podcast and is also the primary author of the “FarmCPAReport.com” blog.  Paul is a nationally recognized speaker on many subjects related to farmers and processors including (1) tax planning, (2) estate tax and succession planning, (3) farm management accounting, (4) farm bill, (5) farm economics and many other related topics.

Roger A. McEowen is the Professor of Agricultural Law and Taxation at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. He also teaches in the Agricultural Economics Department at Kansas St. University where he also provides Extension programming in agricultural law and taxation. 

From 1991-1993, McEowen was in the full-time practice of law with Kelley, Scritsmier and Byrne in North Platte, Nebraska. From 1993-2004, he was an associate professor of agricultural law and extension specialist in agricultural law and policy at Kansas State.  From mid-2004 through 2015, McEowen was the Leonard Dolezal Professor in Agricultural Law at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he was also the Director of the ISU Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation (CALT), which he founded. 

He has published scholarly articles in various legal and tax journals, and is the author of Principles of Agricultural Law, an 850-page textbook/casebook that is updated twice annually, and a second 300-page book on agricultural law. His Agricultural Law and Taxation Blog contains over 100 detailed and fully annotated articles annually and is the most widely read agricultural law and taxation blog online.  In mid-2017, Prof. McEowen's new book, Agricultural Law in a Nutshell, was published by West Academic Publishing Co.  McEowen also authors the monthly publication, "Kansas Farm and Estate Law." In addition, he has co-authored Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) Tax Management Portfolios on the federal estate tax family-owned business deduction and the reporting of farm income, and is the lead author of a BNA portfolio concerning the income taxation of cooperatives.  He is also the Editor of the Iowa Bar Tax Manual, and Estate Planning for Farmers and Ranchers and Family Business Organizations, both Thomson/West publications. His subscription-based Substack publications and videos on agricultural law and tax topics can be found at mceowenaglawandtax.substack.com

Prof. McEowen conducts approximately 80-100 seminars annually across the United States for farmers, agricultural business professionals, lawyers, and other tax professionals. He also conducts two radio programs each airing twice monthly heard across the Midwest and on the worldwide web.  In addition, his two-minute radio program, "The Agricultural Law and Tax Report," is heard each weekday by over 2 million listeners on farm radio stations from NY to CA as well as SiriusXM 147. He also can be seen as a weekly guest on RFD-TV where he discusses various agricultural law and tax topics with the RFD-TV hosts.

He received a B.S. with distinction from Purdue University in Management in 1986, an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Iowa State University in 1990, and a J.D. from the Drake University School of Law in 1991.

He is a member of the Iowa and Kansas Bar Associations and is admitted to practice in Nebraska.

Bridgette Readel, farm kid extraordinaire, NDSU grad, passionate agronomist from North Dakota.  Although she graduated from college as a high school ag teacher, Bridgette is now busy teaching adults now regarding production agriculture and truly enjoys sharing the bright and positive message of ag in North Dakota.  Bridgette is retired from her position as a technical agronomist with Corteva Agriscience and is now the owner of Lilac Lane Media, partner in the AgMafia and the Ag Director for WDAY radio/Flag Family Media. 

Chris Sherman is a dedicated advocate for cybersecurity on the farm. With deep agricultural roots and a sharp, tech savvy mindset, he tackles this growing national security threat head on. After a career in ag construction and manufacturing, Chris saw a serious gap: farms were rapidly adopting new technology, but with little to no protection from cyber threats. Today, agriculture ranks among the top 10 most targeted industries for cyberattacks in the U.S. As the founder of Tech Support Farm, a cybersecurity firm built specifically for farmers and agribusinesses, Chris delivers practical, real-world solutions that fit the realities of rural operations. He believes the future of farming depends on securing the systems that power it, and he’s on a mission to bring the cybersecurity conversation to every farm table in America.

Kristen Knudtson is presently the North Dakota State FSA Deputy State Director and Acting Program Director in charge of the Compliance programs.  Kristen has been in the North Dakota State FSA Office since 2015.

The Acting Program Director responsibilities include Payment Eligibility and Payment Limitation, Conservation Compliance and Acreage Reporting programs in the North Dakota State Office.

Kristen, currently residing in Fargo with her family, grew up on a cow and calf operation in northern Missouri, where her family is still operating today.

Brandi Laframboise

Brandi Laframboise is the North Dakota State FSA Program Director in charge of the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, Crop Disaster programs, Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and Farm Records. 

Brandi has been in the North Dakota State FSA Office since January. She also served as a County Executive Director in North Dakota for 5 years.  She has been with the agency for 25 years.

Brandi and her husband live in Finley, ND.