{"id":25716,"date":"2026-02-23T12:46:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T17:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/commodity-classic-co-founder-reflects-on-30-year-growth-of-agricultural-event\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T12:46:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T17:46:29","slug":"commodity-classic-co-founder-reflects-on-30-year-growth-of-agricultural-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/commodity-classic-co-founder-reflects-on-30-year-growth-of-agricultural-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Commodity Classic Co-Founder Reflects on 30-Year Growth of Agricultural Event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Three decades after helping establish what would become a flagship agricultural conference, one of its founding organizers expresses amazement at the event’s transformation into a cornerstone gathering for the farming industry.<\/p>

Kent Kleinschmidt, an Illinois agricultural producer, served as one of two original co-chairs responsible for launching the inaugural Commodity Classic in Phoenix, Arizona thirty years ago. The farmer recalls the extensive preparation that went into creating the event.<\/p>

“We formed a committee about two years before the” first gathering, Kleinschmidt noted, reflecting on the early planning stages that laid the groundwork for what has since developed into one of agriculture’s most significant annual conferences.<\/p>

The evolution of the Commodity Classic from its humble beginnings to its current status as a premier industry event demonstrates the growing importance of unified agricultural forums in bringing together farmers, industry leaders, and stakeholders from across the nation.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Illinois farmer who helped launch the Commodity Classic three decades ago says he’s amazed by how the event has evolved into a major agricultural gathering. Kent Kleinschmidt served as one of the original co-chairs when the first event was held in Phoenix, Arizona.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[862],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771868789508.jpg?fit=500%2C667&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-6GM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27227,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/farmers-seek-cost-cutting-solutions-at-commodity-classic\/","url_meta":{"origin":25716,"position":0},"title":"Farmers Seek Cost-Cutting Solutions at Commodity Classic","author":"Admin","date":"February 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Agricultural producers are prioritizing efficiency improvements at this year's Commodity Classic conference as they face financial pressure from expensive inputs and declining crop prices. 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