More in Issues

  • Feb. 26, 2013
    blog

    The Advisor Who Paid Off

    The other day our veterinarian, Todd, shared a story with me about a producer who came to him with a pinkeye problem, which was not only aggravating, but costing him a lot of money. He told me this story during a driving sleet storm as we were checking cows for heat as part of our breeding program....More
  • Feb. 26, 2013
    blog

    Grain Prices Likely to Become a Bigger Challenge

    If you go to almost any rural community and ask someone what the current cash corn price is, you are likely to get a response of “somewhere between $7 and $8/bu.” You may even get that response from some farmers who have not been following the grain markets closely in recent weeks. We have kind of been drawn into a mentality that corn prices of $6-8 are the new normal, rather than a temporary price upswing; however, that type of thinking could change quite dramatically in the next couple of years....More
  • Feb. 26, 2013
    blog

    How USDA Figures Yields

    In case you are among the many wondering why USDA would project such high trend-line corn and soybean yield estimates (163.6 and 44.5, respectively, for 2013), here’s an explanation from the Ag Forum in Washington today. They are based on weather-adjusted yield models that account for temperature and rainfall during the growing season....More
  • Feb. 19, 2013
    blog

    Crop Insurance Deadline is March 15

    March 15 is the deadline to purchase crop insurance for the 2013 crop year. A good crop insurance program is a key part of a solid risk-management plan for a farm business. Farm operators are encouraged to discuss the Common Crop Insurance Policy (COMBO) insurance options, as well as other 2013 crop insurance needs and options with their crop insurance agent before the deadline....More
  • Feb. 19, 2013
    blog

    Enthusiastic About the Future of Agriculture: Top Ten List: No. 4

    Number four on the countdown list of why I am excited about the future of agriculture is the ability to be entrepreneurial and to grow your wealth over the lifecycle of the business....More
  • Feb. 19, 2013
    blog

    32 Apps to Help You Farm

    If you scout, plant seeds, chart field boundaries, chart soil types, manage applications or manage your books, these days there is an app for just about any farm operation you do....More
  • Feb. 14, 2013
    video
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    USDA Reports Say Climate Change Will Affect Agriculture 1

    Two USDA reports say U.S. agriculture and forest management will have to adapt to climate change and that some of those efforts are already underway. "It’s well documented that the climate is changing, that we are seeing changes in temperature and in changes in precipitation patterns, and that those changes are having implications for forests and for agriculture," says William Hohenstein, director of climate change program, USDA. "What these reports actually look at in more detail are the changes that we expect in changes in terms of extreme events. Changes in the probability of droughts, and floods and how that also will have implications for our resources."...More
  • Feb. 12, 2013
    blog

    The History of the Great Commodity Super Cycles

    I was surprised by the record attendance recently at my annual “Agriculture and Beyond” speaking events sponsored by the Nebraska Bankers Association. These events in Norfolk and Lexington, Neb., had overflow crowds and some bankers, producers and agribusiness people had to stand out the hallways. Welcome to the great commodity super cycle that has brought wealth and prosperity to much of rural America!...More
  • Feb. 12, 2013
    blog

    2013 to Bring Record Income Again

    In its long-term projections released this morning, USDA’s Economic Research Service forecast farm income at a record $127.6 billion, up 15% as crop insurance payments add to income record commodity payments. They then see a drop to $96.9 billion in 2014 as corn, wheat and soybean prices fall dramatically and high production costs, up 12% in two years, eat into income....More
  • Feb. 5, 2013
    blog

    Perspectives from the Road

    Sometimes as I travel around the country Willie Nelson’s song “On the Road Again” comes to mind. While driving my Hertz rental car and listening to Sirius radio, I have had a chance to survey the upper Midwest’s agricultural landscape and visit with over 2,000 producers in the past few weeks. Here are some observations that are top of mind....More
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Keeping crop protection chemicals on the crop for which they are intended has been a...