Records Are Meant to Be Broken. And They Have Been!
Friendly heating bills, less livestock feed consumed, fewer snow drifts on rural roads. The January thaw lasted an entire month, and will we ever pay for it later! The close of January sent meteorologists scurrying to check their record books to see how January of 2006 compared to past years, since most of them had a hunch the warm temperatures were worthy of note. Although the books are not closed on the winter of 2005-2006, we have begun a precedent for the balance of the season.Posted by Stu Ellis on 02/01 at 03:52 PM | (1) Comments | Permalink
Reconciling Macro and Micro Economics. UGH!
The Federal budget for FY 2007 will soon be debated in Washington, and although the USDA share is less than 2% it is one of the areas of discretionary spending that Congress will push and pull in an effort to satisfy constituents. One of the major points of contention is the amount of money distributed to farm operations in the past year, which is the second largest on record. In a period of large federal deficits and the desire to control federal spending, farm program payments will be scrutinized vis-à-vis the US agricultural economy. While the final chapter will not be written for some time to come, the number crunchers are providing extensive fodder for the number debaters.Posted by Stu Ellis on 01/31 at 01:53 PM | (1) Comments | Permalink
No Gripes, If You Have a Good Grip on GRIP
Have you called your crop insurance agent yet to discuss options for 2006? If, and when, you do, inquire about the Group Risk Income Protection (GRIP) policy. It may not be on the agent’s list to suggest to you, but should be on your list to ask about. GRIP is available widely to cover corn, beans, wheat, sorghum, and cotton, but where you farm makes a difference whether it is a great tool, or a mediocre tool to help you manage risk.Posted by Stu Ellis on 01/30 at 03:42 PM | (3) Comments | Permalink
Extension Update
Extension Update is a weekly summary of news from Extension, government, and other attributable sources, focused on marketing, farm management, and other issues that are of interest to Midwestern farm owners and operators.Posted by Stu Ellis on 01/27 at 02:28 PM | (0) Comments | Permalink
Strangers Want to Give You Money, Legitimately
$24.6 billion, by any agricultural standard, is an unbelievably large amount of money. As a matter of fact that is half of what US net farm income annually has been over the past decade. But $24.6 billion is the amount of money that non-farm folks are willing to spend to visit your farm. $24.6 billion is the pie available for US farmers to divide up in return for providing an “on the farm” experience to millions of your urban neighbors. And you want to taste that pie, do you now?Posted by Stu Ellis on 01/26 at 11:10 AM | (1) Comments | Permalink