Aside from the day-to-day duties of owning and managing land, one of the more difficult aspects of land ownership deals with leasing farm land. Many landowners have difficulties coming to mutually acceptable agreements, getting those agreements on paper, determining fair rental rates, and determining what type of lease agreement best suits their needs. What are […]
Following the last WASDE report from February 20th, analysts have been busy in their ongoing efforts to gauge the nation’s farmers’ cropping decisions. While this is no simple task, a few trends have emerged, and a clearer picture of the 2015 cropping landscape is emerging, with a few surprises. According to the 2015 Grain and […]
It may seem early to think about spring planting, and the Groundhog may have said 6 more weeks of winter, but that hasn’t stopped farmers from doing just that. Aside from starting to think about getting planting equipment out and geared up for April, farmers and climatologists know that spring weather patterns begin to emerge […]
While the release of the USDA’s latest World Agricultural Supply and Demands Estimates report on Tuesday had many hoping for an uptick in grain prices, the grain market decided to go lower by the day’s close, throwing many farmers and analysts for a loop. Despite overall bullish numbers for domestic corn and soybeans, though less […]
The Agricultural Act of 2014, more commonly known as the Farm Bill, brought with it some changes that will have an impact on producers’ pocketbooks. Specifically, the latest Farm Bill specifies that producers will have a one-time opportunity to adjust their base acres and update their payment yields, thereby potentially increasing their program payments. The […]
While it’s no secret that the main component of farm profitability involves producing a good crop with the greatest efficiency and lowest cost of production, it’s also true that marketing that crop plays a significant role in profitability as well. While farmers and landowners may differ in their individual marketing style, it’s important that they […]
Farmers and landowners generally focus on crop production, and land management often falls to finding ways to improve the land in order to increase yields and profit margins. Fortunately, many land improvements that build up natural wildlife habitats are also found to be beneficial for improved crop production as well. Creating places for native wildlife […]
The time has finally arrived; although no farmer ever officially “retires,” you have decided that, for financial and tax considerations, or perhaps for the benefit of the next generation, the farm will need to be sold. Perhaps you are not actively farming your land, and have decided to let it go. Or, perhaps you’re desirous […]
It’s January, and as many are setting their personal goals for 2015, farmers and agriculture economists are also keenly interested in what the new year will bring for ag producers. With 2014’s lower commodity prices in mind, farmers are paying close attention to rumors of rising interest rates in 2015. According to Fortune magazine, the […]
It’s no secret that farmland values have boomed over the last decade. Many farmers and outside investors have bought and continue to buy up land to pad their investment portfolios. Despite the decreasing commodity values of the last year, many economists continue to be optimistic about buying land as a long-term investment. Commodities investor Jim […]
