More in Management

Apr. 30, 2013

blog

ACRE in 2013: Making Your Decision

The Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) was part of the 2008 Farm Bill and offers an alternative to the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP). The deadline for signup this year is June 3....More
Apr. 23, 2013

blog

Enthusiastic About the Future of Agriculture: Top-10 List, Number 1

The final reason I am optimistic about agriculture is not one specific reason. It is a combination of reasons based upon my travels, interaction with people and general observations from my past experience and vision into the future....More
Apr. 23, 2013

blog

Earth Day 2013

For over four decades, an annual event called Earth Day has been held in late April across the United States, which has been a time for all U.S. citizens to reflect on our country’s environmental resources, and what we can do individually and as communities to help enhance our environment for the next generation. In recent years, it has become fashionable to point the finger of blame at agriculture and farmers for many environmental issues....More
Apr. 23, 2013

video

Corn and Soybean Digest

No More Food Fights: Understanding Farmer and Foodie Perspective

In an effort to break stereotypes, the book describes farmers who don’t wear overalls but who do use technology in producing food and preserving the environment, dairy farmers who work on “cow comfort,” and how hard farmers work on sustainability. On the other side, the book reminds farmers that only a tiny percentage of the population lives on a farm and urges farmers to tell their stories through social media and every day conversation to correct mistaken beliefs about food production perpetuated by traditional media....More
Apr. 18, 2013

blog

What Do You Want to Tell Consumers About Agriculture?

As Earth Day 2013 draws near, conservation is perhaps more in the forefront of everyone’s mind. However, we in agriculture know that farmers do their best to conserve EVERY day, not just on April 22 every year....More
Apr. 18, 2013

Article

Survey Shows Consumer Confusion About Organic, GMO, Hormones, Family Farms 5

According to a new survey, American moms may be building their grocery lists based on misinformation about how their food was grown and raised....More
Apr. 16, 2013

blog

8 Considerations with Custom Farming Agreements

An alternative to leasing farmland is a custom farming agreement. In a typical custom farming agreement, the custom operator agrees to perform all the machine operations on the owner’s land in exchange for a set fee or rate. The landowner pays for all seed, fertilizer, chemicals, crop insurance and other input costs; receives the all grain produced and all eligible farm program payments on the land; and is responsible to store and market the grain....More
Apr. 16, 2013

blog

Green Shoots in the U.S. Economy

Despite all the bickering and inaction of our leaders in Washington, D.C., the U.S. economy is like green shoots of grass emerging from the winter doldrums. What are some of the metrics indicating a comeback in the economy?...More
Apr. 9, 2013

blog

BRICS Nations Losing Economic Steam

Ouch! Corn prices dropped 70¢/bu. within a two-day period following the release of USDA’s March crop report. Welcome to the wild world of global economics! Are commodity prices being affected by weather and adjustments being made in planting, or are there other concerns on the economic horizon?...More
Mar. 26, 2013

blog

The Tsunami of Deferred Taxes

A tax tidal wave of epic proportions is emerging on many farms that have had an offensive game strategy in recent years, pushing taxes forward. Strong profits, particularly in the grain industry, and aggressive farm tax strategy using accelerated depreciation are the major culprits. Prepaying expenses and deferring income into future years is also creating a large deferred tax liability on farm balance sheets....More
Mar. 19, 2013

blog

Enthusiastic About the Future of Agriculture: Top Ten List: No. 3

In my speeches and seminars, eyebrows will raise and glances between people will occur with nodding and a look of fulfillment when I make the following comment: “The best crop you raise will be your children, grandchildren or youngsters you take under your wing as a mentor.”...More
Mar. 19, 2013

blog

National Agriculture Week 2013

National Ag Week is being celebrated March 17-23 all across the United States, with Tuesday, March 19, being designated as National Ag Day. As we celebrate National Ag Week, it is a good time to reflect on all the traditions and advancements that help make the U.S. agriculture industry second to none! Following are some interesting statistics about today’s agriculture industry....More
Mar. 14, 2013

Article

Agriculture Degrees in Demand

Linsey Howell is among a growing number of recent agriculture graduates and graduating seniors who are reporting strong job prospects with their agriculture and natural resources degrees in Ohio and nationwide thanks to the growing world-wide demand for food and an increasingly strong agriculture industry, experts say....More
Mar. 13, 2013

video

Corn and Soybean Digest

Modern American Agriculture Statistics: Farmers Producing More Grain, More Efficiently on Less Land

As the world population grows, American farmers will have to produce more food in the next 50 years than in the past 10,000 years combined. All of the growth in production will have to be done with less land, energy and water consumption while conserving and sustaining natural resources....More
Mar. 12, 2013

blog

Benchmarking to the Elite: Part 2

My last article focused on some of the financial characteristics of producers who attended the Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP) this year. Now I’ll discuss some of their management practices. This supercharged conference, coordinated by Danny Klinefelter, is an outstanding educational venue for agriculturalists that offers education and networking with individuals from over 20 states, four Canadian provinces, South America and Australia....More
Mar. 10, 2013

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Are Corn Prices Headed Lower?

USDA has lowered the projected high-end season-average farm price for corn down to $6.75-7.45/bu. It’s a 20¢/bu. drop from last month – a trend farmers hope doesn’t continue as planting time nears. The projection came in Friday’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, which also showed tight ending stocks unchanged at 632 million bushels....More
Mar. 8, 2013

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Farm Transition Planning: Communicate, Use Experts, Keep Focused

On Friday afternoon attendees at Commodity Classic 2013 were treated to a session on transitioning their farms. Leading the conversation were Darren Frye, Brian Hensley and Arlen Suderman, all of Water Street Solutions, and Bryce Knorr, of Farm Futures. The group started off by saying that now is the time to start planning, reminding the group that having a will and having and estate plan are NOT transition plans....More
Mar. 8, 2013

Article

Farming is a Way of Life, Not a 'System' 1

As a farmer, one of the many whom Jonathan Foley regards as “the hardest working people in America” and as “pillars of their communities,” I would like to speak out about how today’s corn farmers, their trade associations and others whom Foley has vilified have not only rethought the so-called “corn system,” but are continually improving it. Thanks to technology in the tractor and on the field, and smart agronomic practices like conservation tillage, things are only getting better....More
Mar. 7, 2013

blog

Details On Proposed Bill To Reduce Crop Insurance Subsidies

Senator Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican, said yesterday, "The crop insurance program has turned into a huge taxpayer-funded boon for some of the biggest, multi-national insurance companies and multi-millionaire farmers. In a time of record deficits and an incomprehensible $16.5 trillion in debt, this program can no longer be justified in its current form."...More
Mar. 7, 2013

Article

$15.4 Billion in Indemnity Payments Sent to Farmers, Drought Continuing into 2013

As the claims come in from one of the worst droughts in decades, farmers and ranchers across the country are receiving indemnity payments for the losses they have incurred. As of March 4, 2013, more than $15.4 billion has been sent to farmers. Farmers will invest more than $4.1 billion to purchase more than 1.2 million crop insurance policies....More
Mar. 7, 2013

Article

Relationship Between Crop Returns and Acreage Decisions

Relative corn and soybean prices over the past few crop years have encouraged expansion of corn acreage and the use of more corn intensive rotations throughout much of the Midwest. In general, and in central and northern Illinois in particular, increased corn acreage has come at the expense of fewer acres being planted to soybeans and, to a lesser extent, wheat....More
Mar. 7, 2013

Article

2013 iFarm Crop Insurance Tools Available

All 2013 crop insurance tools have been updated and are now available in the crop insurance section of farmdoc. These include the payment simulator, premium calculator and decision tool....More
Mar. 5, 2013

gallery

Evaluate Your 2013 Crop Insurance Options

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has now concluded its price discovery period used to determined final prices and volatility factors for federally sponsored corn and soybean crop insurance products for 2013. For the majority of the Midwest, the projected price for corn is $5.65 and the volatility factor relating to the price risk is anticipated to be .20. For soybeans, the projected price is $12.87 and the volatility factor is likely to be .17. For comparison, the 2012 prices (volatility factors) were $5.68 (.22) and $12.55 (.18) for corn and soybeans, respectively.
Mar. 5, 2013

blog

Benchmarking to the Elite: Part 1

One of the elite management learning experiences in agriculture is the Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP) at Texas A&M University, coordinated with leadership of Danny Kleinfelter. Now in its 24th year, this gathering of agricultural lifelong learners with an array of outstanding presenters who have a vast amount of background and experience is truly the “Super Bowl week” of education and networking in agriculture....More
Mar. 5, 2013

blog

Crop Insurance Decision Time

March 15 is the deadline to purchase crop insurance for the 2013 crop year for corn, soybeans and spring wheat in Upper Midwest states. As of March 1, the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) has finalized the 2013 crop prices in the Upper Midwest for Yield Protection (YP) policies, as well as the base prices for Revenue Protection (RP and RPE) policies....More