Most Recent Blog Posts

Nov. 15, 2011

South American Soy Planting Moving Quickly

Soybean planting continues to advance swiftly in both Brazil and Argentina amid favorable weather conditions, boosting prospects for 2011-2012 South....More
Nov. 7, 2011

Young Producer’s Dilemma

My Road Warrior speaking opportunities took me to Louisville, KY, to address a group of ag lenders and credit analysts. It was a fun group that was....More
Nov. 7, 2011

Future Farm Bill Cuts Likely

Balancing the federal budget and making budget reductions has been receiving major attention in recent months. Major developments have included the....More
Nov. 7, 2011

USDA Seen Lowering Crop Estimates Slightly

USDA is expected to lower its estimates of U.S. corn and soybean production slightly further when it releases its November Crop Production Report on....More
Nov. 1, 2011

Weather and Economic Convergence

Predicting the economy is much like predicting the weather. Neither are precise or specific, and frequently they are impacted not by one event, but a....More
Nov. 1, 2011

Very Dry Tillage Conditions and Corn Harvest Progress

Completing fall tillage has been a struggle for farm operators in many areas of southern and western Minnesota, due to the extremely dry topsoil....More
Nov. 1, 2011

Chinese Purchases of U.S. Soybeans Disappointing

The soybean market has been waiting on Chinese demand for U.S. soybeans to pick up for weeks, but sales to that top buyer continue to be limited by....More
Oct. 25, 2011

Regulation: Enough Is Enough

There is an old saying that a society that attempts to micromanage the regulatory process is a society in demise. Self-regulation and accountability....More
Oct. 25, 2011

Crop Insurance Considerations

With federal crop insurance, every year is different. And with the multiple options available to producers, there are many variable results from crop....More
Oct. 25, 2011

South American Soy Season Off to Good Start

Although the specter of another La Niña weather event hangs over the South American growing season, crop prospects are looking good right amid rapid....More
Oct. 18, 2011

The Federal Reserve’s “Operation Twist”

The U.S. Federal Reserve's latest method to stimulate the economy, called “Operation Twist,” has recently been in the news. The name for this....More
Oct. 18, 2011

Crop Report Highlights and Projected Carryover Stocks

Normally, the October USDA Crop Report does not attract the same attention as some other months, because the crop production numbers are fairly well....More
Oct. 18, 2011

U.S. Corn Exports Perk Up

Last week’s sale of 900,000 metric tons (mt) of U.S. corn to China highlighted the fact lower corn prices have rejuvenated export demand over the....More
Oct. 10, 2011

High Grain Prices and the Livestock Industry

There is no doubt that with the crop reports, continued demand for commodities by the emerging BRICS nations, and the possibilities of additional....More
Oct. 10, 2011

2011 Yields Disappointing in Upper Midwest

The fall harvest season has been almost unbelievable in the Upper Midwest during the last week of September, and the entire first half of October....More
What's CSD Blogs and Opinions?

CSD Blogs and Opinions

Blog Archive