- Feeling the Wet Fall
(11/13/2009)
- Work Down Debt Now
(10/30/2009)
- Bottom, Bounce and Big Supplies
While 2009 has not been as wild a ride as 2008, it has not been for the faint of heart. (7/25/2009)
- A Year to Survive Rather Than Thrive
Heading to the field is a welcome relief after watching corn and bean markets retreat from summer highs to December lows. (3/28/2009)
- Control is in Outside Hands
(3/11/2009)
- Outlook
Small Business Can Grow the Economy (2/14/2009)
- In the Driver’s Seat
(1/31/2009)
- Outlook
Hang on for 2009 (1/10/2009)
- It's All About Demand Now
Right now it's not about the supply side of the equation; it's all about demand. (11/15/2008)
- Caught Up in the Meltdown
We are in a major firestorm, and the timber is all dry. The question is, can we build a fire line fast enough for it to burn out, or will it jump the line and burn up Main Street? (11/1/2008)
- The Bear Makes a Comeback
We have already lived through a history-making event in 2008 with $8 corn, $16-plus beans and $25 wheat. What's next? (10/4/2008)
- Is the Bear Market Over?
The sinking sound you have been hearing in the background since the end of June has been the more than $52 billion net change in the Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean values. We are all shell-shocked right now and wondering what happened to spur the plunge. (8/27/2008)
- Outlook: Prepare to Embrace the Bear
The corn ranking is at 8 and should be at 10 by the middle of June if we hit the gas on this corn market.
(7/8/2008)
- Outlook: Focus On Your Long-Term Objective
This is the last time I have a chance to talk to you before you start your annual spring planting—finally bringing an end to the speculation about what you're going to plant.
(3/29/2008)
- Outlook: Cash and Futures Sales Are Out
As you know, for years my focus has been on being a big early seller. Those who sold their 2007 crop early in cash or short futures have been penalized—and the same holds true for the 2008 and 2009 crops.
(3/14/2008)
- Outlook: Batter Up!
By now, you have likely read or heard every superlative known to the English language about the market price action in January.
(2/15/2008)
- Outlook: We Are Making History
I'm writing this month's Outlook in a state of profound humility. In the current bull move, which started for wheat in early 2007, we've experienced all-time highs for beans, and it appears corn is not far behind.
(2/2/2008)
- Outlook: Markets at a Fever Pitch
As the country prepares for a cold winter, the market is heating up to a fever pitch. The elements affecting prices are the same ones we've talked about for months: There's a global reduction in supply due to weather events while demand is growing by exceptional proportions.
(1/12/2008)
- Outlook: A Defensive Strategy
The big turkey feed is over, and the Christmas and New Year's season is near. This is the time of year when we give thanks for a good crop and slow down a little to spend time with our most important assets-our family.
(12/6/2007)
- Outlook: Bull Markets Sow the Seeds For the Next Bear Market
As we move into 2008, I think there's a sense of uneasiness starting to develop among farmers. (11/20/2007)
- Outlook: We’re In an Uncertain Time
For many Midwest farmers, harvest was finished in record time. Now, fall tillage is in full swing, and wheat seeding is exptected to be extensive. (11/2/2007)
- Outlook: Acres in Flux, Wild Ride Ahead!
I always enjoy fall because this is when the year's efforts of farming are confirmed with grain going into the hopper. (10/5/2007)
- Outlook: The Past, the Present and What That Means For the Future
The crop planting mix for 2008 is shaping up to be one of the most interesting price battles we've seen in years. (8/31/2007)
- Outlook: The Weather Period
Are the fundamentals bullish enough to justify this price event, or is it simply an example of market exuberance? (7/28/2007)
- Outlook: Wait and See Game Plan
Given this year's less-than-ideal planting weather, I believe USDA's March Prospective Plantings acres (more than 90 million) will be the high-water mark. (5/19/2007)
- Outlook: Will the Shift Acres Get Planted?
I was at Commodity Classic in March, and a producer came up to me and said that my corn ranking has only been 8 instead of 10, which means there is still room in my opinion for higher prices. This particular farmer was not selling his old- or new-crop corn; he is holding out. This is why I love farmers; they are the most optimistic people I know. (3/30/2007)
- Outlook: Time to Sell and Defend
If I have said it once, I have said—and will say—it a thousand times: Producers don't want the market to ration supply because once demand is lost it is hard to get it back. (3/17/2007)
- Outlook: When Demand Drives Prices
I sense there are a lot of frustrated farmers when it comes to marketing this year. (2/2/2007)
- Outlook: The Most Exciting Time Ever
(1/12/2007)
- Outlook: History in the Making
It has been said that if you live long enough you will see just about everything. Well, we just witnessed history being made in the corn market. (12/8/2006)
- Outlook: Change is on the Horizon
Seasonally expected fall lows are not going to be as deep as they were last year. Cheap inventory is behind us. Now the question is how aggressively end users will chase the market. (11/3/2006)
- Outlook: Time for the Bear To Take a Break
I'm proud of the reputation I've developed as a market bear. I believe it's my responsibility to help producers sell their production—which includes helping them manage their selling decisions. (9/29/2006)
- Outlook: Adjust to August Surprises
The anticipated sleepy August report for corn turned out to be a bearish nightmare for the near-term bulls. (9/1/2006)
- Outlook: Explosive Market Potential
Since the G-7 financial ministers decided to put some real teeth into their fight to reduce the inflationary risk in April, all world banks have been raising interest rates. (7/29/2006)
- Outlook: Marketing in Cost-Price Battle
Higher fuel costs and weather will likely top farmers' minds as they finish planting season. The big question is whether input costs will rise faster than the market price action. (5/13/2006)
- Outlook: Defense is Needed
Most often, it is specific commodity supply-and-demand factors that drive our markets. Right now, some world economic forces are aligning that could suddenly blindside agriculture. (3/19/2006)
- Outlook: Exercise Your Power
While traveling around the country conducting market outlook seminars, I've frequently been asked: Why are the commodity funds getting so big? (3/8/2006)
- Outlook: Roll With the Punches
The normally quiet and docile winter markets are starting to look more like summer weather markets. What's up? (2/21/2006)
- Outlook: Livestock Limbo
In the past few columns I've focused a great deal of attention on the grain markets. Now, it's time to throw in a few comments about the livestock complex. (1/30/2006)
- Outlook: New Year’s Perspective
The market saw a good Thanksgiving-to-Christmas rally, but is it going to have a hangover in the new year? (1/17/2006)
- Outlook: When Will Second Harvest Hit?
In December, the market saw a respectable bounce off some very low corn and bean values, but was it justified? The answer depends on which side of the battle line you support. (12/28/2005)
