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These columns were originally published in Prairie Farmer during the month indicated and are reprinted here by permission.
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Digging Into Crop Insurance Again (March 2008)
Last month, I introduced you to one of the latest FAST programs developed by the University of Illinois farmdoc: the 2008 Crop Insurance Decision Tool. This program has received so much attention in the past month that I decided to spend a little more time examining its features. Click here to read the column... |
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Compare Insurance (February 2008)
Even though we’re only two months into 2008, one of the hardest decisions for farmers to make comes in March: crop insurance. Click here to read the column... |
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Figure Rotations (January 2008)
When you begin to make planting decisions for the year to come, you have several factors to consider: commodity prices, input costs, last year's rotation decisions and, of course, where you expect the market to go. Click here to read the column... |
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Check Ratios (December 2007)
Change is good. In fact, change can be great. After a year like 2007, financial statements are destined to change for farmers and landowners across the Midwest. The question is, how do you interpret those numbers? Click here to read the column... |
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Calculate Bin Costs in Bin-buster Years (November 2007)
Early this year, USDA reports confirmed corn acreage to be at its highest level in nearly 75 years. More recently, USDA forecasts estimated corn yields to be just behind the record-setting mark from 2004. Consequently, it is to no one's surprise that we're looking at the largest U.S. corn crop produced to date. Click here to read the column... |
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A Combine that Fits (October 2007)
If you were fortunate enough to make it to this year's Farm Progress Show, you experienced nearly every color paint that has ever landed on a piece of farm equipment. Click here to read the column... |
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Make a Plan for Local Bids (September 2007)
The month of September marks the start to two of my favorite pastimes: football and harvest. While FAST doesn't have any tools to help your team win a championship, it does have some useful tools to help make difficult marketing decisions. Click here to read the column... |
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Estimate Yield Without Guesswork (August 2007)
Can you tell me what your corn and soybean yield will be this year? Can you base your assumption only off of last year's yields, or even the past five years? Despite an overabundance of variables, farmers do their best to estimate yield in order to create yearly crop budgets, develop a marketing plan and make crop insurance decisions. Click here to read the column... |
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Take the Guesswork Out of Land Bidding (July 2007)
Purchasing that once-in-a-lifetime farm is something that many will dream of but few will ever realize. For some, that farm might never come up for sale. Others may find themselves unable to compete in a market flooded with 1031 dollars. Click here to read the column... |
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Host of Expert Aid at farmdoc (June 2007)
With the onset of summer only a few weeks away and your vacation plans still in limbo, you don’t necessarily want to hear about the importance of cash-flow budgeting. Equally displeasing can be thinking of break-even cash rental rates for 2008.Click here to read the column... |
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Shedding Light on Rent Agreements (May 2007)
Commodity prices are not the only things that have changed since last fall's harvest. Newly altered price structures mean some producers will be farming their leased acres under different terms this year. Click here to read the column... |
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Break Ground on Break-Even Prices (April 2007)
As your planter rolls across the field this month, laying in the seed corn that will lead to what you hope will be a bin-busting harvest, do you have in your mind the price at which you'll need to sell that grain in order to make money? Click here to read the column... |
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Simplify Economics of Farm Machinery (March 2007)
With spring just around the corner, you will soon be venturing to the fields, hoping for a great year. With commodity prices lingering at levels that could result in record returns, many of you are looking to - or have already - expanded your operations. Yet, do you know whether you have enough machinery to get the job done? Click here to read the column... |
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Screen Insurance Options
(February 2007)
During the next few weeks, you will be finalizing your crop insurance selections for the 2007 production year. Are you prepared to meet with your agent to discuss the insurance products and coverage levels best suited for your farm business? With so many products available, choosing the right one can be challenging. The decision becomes even more complicated when you add your grain-marketing plan to the analysis. Click here to read the column... |
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Don't Let Crop Insurance Overwhelm You (January 2007)
During the next few months, farmers will be evaluating their risk-management strategies for the upcoming year. This process may include a visit with a crop insurance agent to discuss options for 2007. That meeting begs a question: Are you ready to make informed decisions about insurance products and coverage levels. Click here to read the column... |
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Cash Flow Made Easy (December 2006)
How much will it cost you to put out next year's crop? Do you have enough resources to handle this investment on your own, or do you need to pay a visit to your lender? If cash shortfalls are expected next year, when will they occur and how much of a deficit are you looking at? Answers to these important questions can be found by putting together a cash flow budget for the 2007 production year. Click here to read the column... |
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First-Rate Statements Will Impress a Lender (November 2006)
As another production year winds down, your thoughts move toward the decisions you need to make for planting next year's crop. High on the to-do list is prepaying for crop inputs to take advantage of early payment discounts and tax benefits. Click here to read the column... |
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Run the Numbers for Storing vs. Selling (October 2006)
What are your plans for this harvest's production? Are you selling it out of the field or placing it in storage? If you're storing it, how long will it stay there? Click here to read the column... |
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Tally Top Grain-Delivery Option (September 2006)
The leaves are starting to change colors, the days are getting shorter and high school football is in full swing. Yep, it's starting to feel like fall and that means harvest. With harvest comes grain delivery and storage decisions. Click here to read the column... |
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End Grain Inventory Nightmare (August 2006)
It's not uncommon for farms to have grain stored in several different locations: at grain elevators, in home-farm storage spaces, in bins on other farms and more. Plus, some operators manage and store grain for their landowners. Click here to read the column... |
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