Wade Easley, President/CEO at First National Bank of Hereford, is the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Banking Service Award. The longtime financial veteran and community leader was presented the honor earlier this month at the 52nd Texas Tech Annual Bankers Agricultural Credit Conference.
The distinguished service award is given by the agricultural credit conference to recognize individuals in the banking industry who have made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments and careers have brought distinctive credit to the financial profession.
The Bankers Agricultural Credit Conference brings together economists, industry leaders and banking professionals to examine trends shaping the future of the region’s agricultural economy — from cotton and cattle to grain markets and regulatory issues. This year’s session centered on an in-depth look at the agricultural and economic outlook for 2026.
“The program represents an important engagement with rural and agricultural banks that form the backbone of our regional agricultural productivity,” said Darren Hudson, associate dean for strategic initiatives and assessment in Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. “It’s about connecting economic insight with practical decision-making.”
Conference highlights included a regional and national economic outlook from Stephen Kiser, senior business economist with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Dallas, followed by a legislative and regulatory update from Wendy Foster, director of government relations with the Texas Bankers Association in Austin.
The conversation then shifted to agriculture’s core commodities. Shawn Wade, assistant director of Texas Tech’s International Center for Agricultural Competitiveness, presented the 2026 cotton outlook, while Ben Weinheimer, president and chief executive of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association in Amarillo, provided an analysis of the cattle sector.
Lowell Randel, executive director of Davis College’s new Agricultural Policy Advocacy Program, then discussed current policy developments shaping U.S. farm and trade legislation. The conference concluded with a 2026 grain outlook presented by Mark Welch, professor and extension economist for grain marketing with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in College Station.
The event was sponsored by the Texas Bankers Association, Independent Bankers Association of Texas, Excellence in Banking Program (Rawls College of Business), Texas Tech School of Banking, Thornton Agricultural Finance Institute, International Center for Agricultural Competitiveness, and Ag Resource Management (ARM).
CONTACT: Phil Johnson, Professor and Charles Thompson Chair, Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-0474 or phil.johnson@ttu.edu
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