Current News - Archive

• Competition in Agriculture Workshop Called a “Milestone”
  Today marks the first time in history for the public and industry to discuss competition in agriculture. (3/12/2010)
• Why Marketing Plans Keep Lenders Happy
  Ohio producer... (3/4/2010)
• Wheat Continues to Lose Acres Globally
  Wheat has lost a quarter of its land area since 1990 and is losing the competition against corn and soybean acres globally. (3/4/2010)
• Farm Entity Structure Lessens Tax Burden
  Part Two... (3/3/2010)
• There’s No Place Like Home
  Corporate skills take root on the farm (3/1/2010)
• Energy Report: In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb?
  Ok, I know it is a tired cliché about the month of March but probably apropos for the energy and stock markets. (3/1/2010)
• Manage the Tighter Margins
  Uncertainty in almost all ag markets is making business decisions tough for many farmers. (2/16/2010)
• Energy Report: Say Hello to the Japanese Yen
  Say goodbye to the Euro and hello to the Japanese yen. (2/16/2010)
• New troubles for oil
  (2/12/2010)
• Energy Report: Greece Bail Out
  Greece bail out helps bail out the oil bulls and heavy lending in China and a tightening global supply picture, gives oil bulls some new life. (2/11/2010)
• Energy Report: Losing that Bullish Feeling
  (2/9/2010)
• Top Producer Seminar Presentations
  See the General Session presentations from this year''s Top Producer Seminar in Chicago. (2/8/2010)
• Energy Report: Worms in Space
  Refineries are running at the lowest level since the 1980''s (2/4/2010)
• Explore Panama and Brazil with Top Producer
  TOP PRODUCER is proud to embark on a journey to the Panama Canal and Brazil to explore and expose U.S. producers to the potential and the challenges of expanding shipping channels throughout the Western Hemisphere. (2/3/2010)
• 2010 Top Producer of the Year: Donny DeLine
  Congratulations to Donny DeLine, a farmer from Charleston, Mo. (1/29/2010)
• Farm Journal Legacy Project Tips
  Members of the Esther Family, from Beardstown, Ill, shared their experiences in succession planning today at the Top Producer Seminar. (1/28/2010)
• Top Producer Seminar Sets Attendance Record
  More than 660 attendees are registered for the event, marking the fourth straight year of record attendance. (1/28/2010)
• Established Producers Provide Proven Practices for Young Farmers
  Networking, finding mentors and learning from others are all ways young farmers can get ahead in their careers. (1/26/2010)
• Find the Best Supplier Relationship
  How can young farmers find their dealer options? And, are they locked into them? (1/26/2010)
• Get Ready for the 2010 Top Producer Seminar
  Read the latest news and information for the upcoming event. (1/22/2010)
• Celebrating 20 Years of TEPAP
  This week in Austin, Texas, marked the 20th year of The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP). (1/18/2010)
• Energy Report: Corn and Ethanol
  Traders will continue to lay low in the weeds after this weeks reports. (1/15/2010)
• Energy Report: Oil Bulls Have a Bad Day
  For the oil bulls it was just one of those days. (1/13/2010)
• Energy Report: Talking About the Cold
  The cold is talking for itself. (1/5/2010)
• Top Producer Seminar: Win in the New Economy
  Don''t miss! (12/25/2009)
• Young Farmers at Agritechnica
  Cameron and Nicole Carstensen of Almira, Wash., were one set of winners of an all-expense paid trip to Agritechnica, courtesy of Farm Journal and Top Producer and DLG (German Agricultural Society). (12/18/2009)
• Energy Report: Baby, its Cole Outside
  I really can''t sell, baby its cold outside. (12/18/2009)
• Lone Ranger
  Losing a farm partner is twice as hard when it’s your father (12/15/2009)
• Energy Report: Market Movement
  Wow, for a day without a lot of market movement so much seemed to happen. (12/15/2009)
• The Energy Report: Economic Recovery
  (12/11/2009)
• Energy Report: Jobs Report
  The jobs report shook the commodities markets to their core as everything most people believed about the pace of the economic recovery may have to be reexamined. (12/7/2009)
• Best Marketing Tools for Technical Marketers
  Good tools are critical to catching market signals if you’re a technical trader. At the Farm Journal Media Marketing Rally in Chicago, several analysts shared their favorite marketing tools for knowing when to make a move. (12/6/2009)
• Jump Early in 2010 for Marketing Opportunities
  Get ready to jump on marketing opportunities in early January, according to analysts at the Farm Journal Media Marketing Rally in Chicago. (12/3/2009)
• Tighter Margins = Fewer Acres in 2010
  Stewart Ramsey of IHS Global Insight expects tighter margins next year. (12/2/2009)
• Energy Report: Driving Force in Energy
  The driving force in energy yesterday really was (12/2/2009)
• Energy Report: Gold Infestation
  Call the Orkin man! Gold bugs have infested every market. (11/24/2009)
• Top Producer Seminar Speakers Announced
  With tumultuous times in our nation’s economy, continued market volatility and an ever-changing policy and regulatory landscape, keeping up to date on business trends has never been more important. The power-house line up of speakers for the 2010 Top Producer Seminar will help you meet these challenges head on and improve your ability to compete. (11/24/2009)
• Energy Report: Bipartisan Blaming?
  Let''s all try to agree on someone to blame. (11/20/2009)
• Shepherds of the Soil
  Grain cooperative takes profitable no-till message to Pacific Northwest bakers (11/18/2009)
• Energy Report: Hurricane Ida
  Hurricane Ida may have had more impact on the weekly American Petroleum Institute report that she will in the big energy picture. (11/18/2009)
• The Agricultural Credit Situation
  Serious problems that developed in the agricultural credit situation in 2009 could escalate in 2010–2011. (11/12/2009)
• Reports from Agritechnica Winners
  Meet the lucky winners of an all-expense paid trip to Agritechnica. (11/12/2009)
• Energy Report: Nowhere to Run
  Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide. (11/11/2009)
• Is a Tsunami of Climate Lawsuits Approaching?
  Two recent Circuit Court (2nd and 5th) decisions allowed civil lawsuits against oil and utility companies for their role in climate change. Agriculture should be very concerned, several attorneys say. (11/11/2009)
• Delivery Challenges Abound
  Over the past three weeks, a growing number of elevators have been forced to turn away high-moisture loads. (11/5/2009)
• Energy Report: Extend the Carry Trade
  Carry on my carry trade. (11/5/2009)
• POET Field Day Showcases Cob Harvest Options
  More cob harvesting options, regardless of your operation''s size. (11/3/2009)
• Energy Report: Holy Manufacturing Smoke!
  ISM blew away expectations... (11/3/2009)
• Energy Report: GDP GLEE and Nothing to Fear
  They did the mash! They did the market mash! (10/30/2009)
• Your Eye in the Bin
  Late planting combined with a number of other weather trials this summer resulted in some quality issues such as cob rot, agronomists report. Learn how to overcome these issues. (10/30/2009)
• Contract Feeders: Consider Realities Before Legal Action
  The pork industry is going through a massive transition and it’s leaving a lot of integrators questioning their business models and the contracts they have made with their feeders. (10/28/2009)
• Energy Report: Conflicted
  A slight rebound in the dollar... (10/28/2009)
• Energy Report: Economic Smack Down
  I am trying to figure out who is getting beat up worse (10/22/2009)
• Energy Report: $80.00 Angst
  Is $80.00 the magic number that breaks the back of the fermenting economic recovery? (10/21/2009)
• Cost of Production to Rise 9% in 2010
  In its estimates of operating costs, USDA’s Economic Research Service pegs variable cost of production for both corn and soybeans up 9% next year and cotton, 8%. (10/21/2009)
• Risk Navigator Series
  To thrive in tumultuous times, you need to have a big pricing arsenal. (10/13/2009)
• Energy Report: Get the Ear Muffs Out
  Oil bears gets frosted as cold temperatures give the energy complex a Columbus Day boost. (10/12/2009)
• Corn Loses Its Luster
  Corn is like the Tiger Woods of field crops. (10/12/2009)
• Register Now for the Marketing Rally
  Registration has officially opened for the event. (10/8/2009)
• Frost Concerns to Make Corn Pop
  Allendale, working with AgriGold seeds, estimates about 100 million bushels of corn could be damaged by the impending freeze. (10/7/2009)
• Four Steps to Expansion
  Growth opportunities exist if you’re ready (10/1/2009)
• Energy Report: Globally Off Balance
  Globally off balance and no, I am not talking about Mahmoud Ahamadineajad. (10/1/2009)
• Energy Report: Missiles, Madmen and Spare Capacity
  Iran shot off short and long range missiles in what they said was an act of defiance against the rest of the world. (9/28/2009)
• A New Day at USDA
  Emphasis on rural more than farm (9/26/2009)
• Attention Young Farmers: Join a Network Just for You
  The Top Producer editors are excited to offer you a new networking tool, http://tpyoungfarmers.ning.com, to connect with fellow young farmers across the country. (9/25/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Breaks, Market Shakes
  Oil breaks as the market shakes as the reality of tight supplies in a post Fed meeting world comes to light. (9/25/2009)
• Big Oil Makes Ethanol Splash
  The nation’s largest oil refiner wants corn for fuel
  (9/22/2009)
• Energy Report: The Chinese Oil Demand Teaser
  One day China''s oil demand is bad and the next, good. (9/22/2009)
• Will Crops Outrun Frost?
  During the next few weeks, the crop size should be revealed, according to a chart provided by Bill Biedermann of Allendale Inc. (9/16/2009)
• Energy Report: The Recession is Very Likely Over
  Everybody dance now! Everybody dance now! (9/16/2009)
• Friend of Farmers World Over Dies
  Norman Borlaug''s death touches all. (9/15/2009)
• Avoid Rent Squeeze
  Land costs will pinch profits in 2010; flexibility is more popular
  (9/14/2009)
• Energy Report: Get Ready for the Supply Side Slide!
  Oil bloat may get the bull''s goat as we are entering the weakest demand period of the year. (9/14/2009)
• Market Experts Analyze Crop Production Reports
  How will the numbers in today’s USDA report affect your farm? Listen in as Jerry Gulke, Strategic Marketing Services Owner and Top Producer columnist, and Jim Bower, president of Bower Trading, break down the numbers. (9/11/2009)
• Energy Report: Come on Everybody, Let's Get Happy!
  The economy is better and oil demand is rising. (9/11/2009)
• Outlook from Jerry Gulke
  Here''s what Jerry advises after the 9/11 crop report. (9/11/2009)
• Energy Report: Number Nine
  What''s freakier than the Beatles Revolution Number Nine? Well perhaps the state of the global oil market on 9/9/09. (9/9/2009)
• Top Producer of the Year Deadline Today!
  The Top Producer of the Year Award recognizes producers who demonstrate excellence in the business of farm­ing, including marketing, farm finance, family and employee relations, technology and environmental stewardship. (9/9/2009)
• Allendale 2009 Crop Projections
  With a normal finish to the growing season, Allendale is projecting record crop for both corn and soybeans. (9/8/2009)
• Win a Trip to Agritechnica
  You could win a free trip for two. (9/8/2009)
• Energy Report: Buying is Golden
  Black Gold is rising being driven by the more traditional yellow gold as it surges above $1000 an ounce for the first time since February. (9/8/2009)
• Short-Term Weather Protection
  Top Producer has reported exchange-traded “Weather Contracts” when they were first announced. This year’s delayed planting and immature crops give them new attraction. (9/3/2009)
• Energy Report: Shanghai surprise.
  To stimulate or not to stimulate that is the question. (9/3/2009)
• Should You Buy Frost Insurance?
  With many crops running behind this season, frost insurance is on the mind of many farmers. (9/1/2009)
• Energy Report: Chinese Hangover
  It seems like the whole commodity universe is focused on China. (9/1/2009)
• New Form of Frost Protection
  No damage necessary; payout based on actual weather. (8/31/2009)
• Interest Rates Will Never Be Lower
  Interest has nowhere to go but up. But how high, and how will that impact your operating loans? (8/28/2009)
• Energy Report: Dollar Drops and Oil Pop
  Once again a break in oil prices gets reversed on a weakening dollar. (8/28/2009)
• Land Use Change Tricky to Measure
  A leading agricultural economist says it is nearly impossible to verify the reasons for why farmers around the world change their land use, much less to blame it on biofuels production in the U.S. (8/26/2009)
• Energy Report: $75 or Dive
  Can Big Ben Bernanke, the savior of the global economy, keep oil from falling? (8/25/2009)
• Energy Report: Super Bernanke
  Look up in the sky! It''s a bird! It''s a plane! It''s super Bernanke! (8/24/2009)
• Performance-Minded Machines from John Deere
  Machinery maker rolls out new models (8/24/2009)
• Chip Flory: At Tour’s End
  Hear from Pro Farmer Editor Chip Flory at the close of the 2009 Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour. (8/24/2009)
• Energy Report: Why Did Crude Imports Drop So Suddenly?
  What happened in the Gulf Coast last week that might have slowed oil tankers? (8/20/2009)
• There Are No Secrets on This Farm
  Kansas operation grows with a team atmosphere (8/20/2009)
• Energy Report: A Shocking Drop
  Where did all the oil go? (8/19/2009)
• Climate Bill: Plus or Minus for Farmers?
  The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, passed by the House of Representatives in late June, allows farmers to fully participate in a carbon offset program, which permits payment for farm activities that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (8/18/2009)
• 6 Steps to a Plan
  Think through your sales strategy then adjust as needed (8/14/2009)
• Energy Report: Quantitative Ease Off
  Leveling out has never felt so good. (8/14/2009)
• Limited Downside Potential in Markets following Crop Reports
  Historically important, today''s Crop Production reports from USDA proved to hold some surprises. (8/12/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Headed Back Down?
  Oil Prices close below $70 and now the price of oil seems to be headed back down. (8/12/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil disconnects
  For weeks we have been hearing that oil has been rallying on signs of economic recovery. (8/10/2009)
• Why Investors Are Eyeing Ag
  “We are headed for a recession that will last a decade,” declares Peter Schiff, president and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital. (8/6/2009)
• Energy Report: Wet Barrels, Dry Barrels?
  Wet barrels dry barrels dry barrels what does it matter? (8/6/2009)
• ACRE Has New Attraction – Last Chance
  If you have decided to stay out of the new ACRE (Average Crop Revenue Election) program for 2009 crops, you need to rethink your decision, says Chris Hurt, Purdue University Extension economist. (8/5/2009)
• New RoGator Sprayer Models Introduced for 2010
  Five new RoGator, high-clearance, postemergence applicators have been introduced by AGCO Application Equipment for 2010. (8/4/2009)
• Energy Report: Is the recession over!?
  Well for a day or so in the oil patch, it sure felt like it. (8/4/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Prices Defy
  Oil prices defy supply and go on a technical buying binge. (8/3/2009)
• Harvest-Time Basis Prospects Look Promising
  Basis for grain shipments could be considerably less costly this fall. (8/3/2009)
• Energy Report: Finding Hope in oil prices.
  (7/30/2009)
• Utterback: Market Reaction to USDA's Plan to Resurvey Acreage
  What are the market implications after USDA’s recent announcement that it will resurvey corn and sorghum acreage in seven states? (7/24/2009)
• Energy Report: Streaks are Made to be Broken.
  Oil prices broke the string of higher closes as tepid demand and rising supply seem to be zapping some of this market''s bullish enthusiasm. (7/24/2009)
• Energy Report: Finding Hope in oil prices.
  (7/17/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Rally
  Oh right, I know you heard from some people that oil rallied because of a bullish Department of Energy report yesterday. (7/16/2009)
• Will CFTC Change Ag Futures?
  The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is holding trading limit hearings to determine needed changes in reporting and classification of traders, especially in the energy markets, but agriculture “and other physically delivered commodities” also “deserve thoughtful review. (7/16/2009)
• East–West Crop Divide
  Iowa’s soybean yields may be above trend and the average of the past three years, while those in the Eastern Corn Belt are more likely to fall below. (7/14/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Market Reflecting Dark Outlook for Economic Growth
  Sixty is not so nifty today... (7/10/2009)
• Farm Journal Media and AEM Form Ag Connect Alliance
  (7/9/2009)
• Hedge Your Operating Loans
  Everywhere we hear of impending inflation and rising interest rates... (7/9/2009)
• Energy Report: Fix the Weather
  Well if you can''t fix the economy you might as well fix the weather. (7/9/2009)
• New Panama Canal Project Will Affect Grain Shipments
  A new project widening the Panama Canal will allow bigger cargo vessels to pass through it. (7/7/2009)
• Energy Report: Russian to get out of oil
  Ok, I guess I should write "rushing" (7/7/2009)
• How Many Hogs Will Be Liquidated?
  Hog producers have been losing money since October. (7/2/2009)
• Energy Report: Let Free Markets Ring
  When, in the course of human trading events, it becomes necessary for one market to dissolve the fundamental bonds... (7/2/2009)
• Farm Groups Still Wrangle With Climate Bill
  A sweeping climate change bill that passed in the House of Representatives last Friday remains the source of contention among some agricultural groups. (6/30/2009)
• Historic Energy Bill Passes House
  One of the biggest energy acts in history was passed by the House of Representatives on Friday. (6/29/2009)
• Climate Change Bill Heats Debate
  Ag organizations comment on bill (6/26/2009)
• Credit Tight for Rural America
  Take steps to protect your farm during the credit crunch (6/26/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Intervention
  Yesterday the oil market was supposed to be all about oil inventories and about the Fed and so it was. (6/25/2009)
• U.S. Senate Report: Excessive Speculation in the Wheat Market
  At 10 p.m. last night, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Acting Ranking Minority Member, released a 247-page report entitled, Excessive Speculation in the Wheat Market. (6/24/2009)
• Energy Report: Obama Bullish for Oil!
  Oil gets an Obama bounce surging yesterday as he faced tough questions in middle of the trading day press conference. (6/24/2009)
• On the Global Ag Bandwagon
  Investors convene to share global farmland strategies (6/23/2009)
• Rules of the Road
  Global farmland investors share their "must dos" when investing here or abroad (6/23/2009)
• Savings are Hard to Come By
  Livestock producers were first hit by high feed costs and now by the weakening U.S. and world economy. (6/23/2009)
• Energy Report: Too Big To Fail
  Big bulls are still in control. (6/19/2009)
• Summer Ride Up?
  In at the least the short term, grain prices may be headed higher, believes Craig Haugaard, grain origination manager with South Dakota Wheat Growers. (6/19/2009)
• More Than You’d Think
  Knowing that the average age of farmers is in the mid-50s, you might be surprised to learn that using USDA’s definition of a beginning farmer/rancher (in business for 10 years or less), they make up about a quarter of operators. (6/18/2009)
• Farm Income Prospects Deteriorate
  The farm income outlook for 2009 has deteriorated significantly because of lower commodity prices and cash receipts, reports John Kruse, an economist at IHS Global Insight. (6/18/2009)
• House Ag Chairman: EPA Stay Out of Agriculture
  The Environmental Protection Agency needs to stay out of farm policy, says House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.). Without that concession in the final draft of any climate change bill, he will not support it, Peterson said in an exclusive interview with Top Producer on Wednesday morning. (6/12/2009)
• The Energy Report: When Selling Seems To Be the Hardest Word
  When Selling Seems To Be the Hardest Word, what does it have to do to make you sell it? What have bears got to do to be heard? How do I know when it''s all over and selling seems to be the hardest word. (6/12/2009)
• The Energy Report: Why do we buy thee?
  Why do we buy thee? Let me count the ways. Oil surges to another new high for the year driven by a slew of bullish factors that are so plentiful it is hard to know where to start. (6/11/2009)
• "Blockbuster" Report from USDA
  Today''s report can be labled as bullish, says Jerry Gulke, Strategic Marketing Services owner and Top Producer columnist. (6/10/2009)
• Ag Credit Demand Stays Strong
  Farmers and ranchers are still expanding and investing in their businesses, according to the results of ABA Center for Agricultural & Rural Banking’s annual “Farm Bank Performance” report. (6/8/2009)
• Energy Report: Live by the Fed, Die by the Fed
  What does the jobs report, yield curve and the Fed Fund futures say about a potential coming top in the price of oil? Could we be seeing the beginning of the end of the recent bull-run? (6/8/2009)
• Positive Signs in the Country
  A monthly poll covering components of the Rural Mainstreet Index are finally pointing positive. (6/3/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Markets Buckle Down
  The run to sixty-nine was fine but seemed to bring us to the point of near exhaustion. (6/3/2009)
• Energy Report: Supply Slide Economics
  Oil rides high topping $65 a barrel as the bearish supply side theories, as in we just have too much supply, are now slowly slip sliding away. (5/29/2009)
• Energy Report: Refiners on the Rocks
  Refiners on the rocks, ain''t no surprise. Demand stinks, yet prices still rise. (5/28/2009)
• East-West Crop Disparity
  This week, USDA reported corn planting up 20 percentage points--to 82% complete, compared with the 5-year average of 93%. (5/28/2009)
• Bearish, Negative Cattle on Feed Report
  USDA released their May Cattle on Feed report this afternoon. Listen to some audio analysis from these experts. (5/26/2009)
• The Economy Will Recuperate
  We were due for a cyclical downturn anyway, but the banking crisis caused a gash in the economy, notes Bruce Scherr, CEO of Informa Economics. (5/20/2009)
• Energy Report: Peak Bleak
  Peak bleak: Is the world running out of oil? Again? (5/20/2009)
• Energy Report: The Second Sign of Spring
  As we know the first sign of spring is rising gas prices. The second sign of spring is trying to find someone to blame. (5/19/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Imports Plunge
  Like a hurricane! Oil imports plunge to the lowest level in ten years causing a surprise week over week supply drop in crude oil - the first according to the DOE since February - and gasoline supply. (5/14/2009)
• Potential Soybean Shortage this Year
  Johnny Dodson, president of the American Soybean Association, says the pipeline for soybeans could get small this year, possibly equaling a soybean shortage. (5/14/2009)
• Energy Report: Oil Continues to Surge
  Give me those old time fundamentals. Give me those old time fundamentals, give me those old time fundamentals they are good enough for me. Oil continues its surge, defying old time fundamentals as the market focuses on a new wave of fundamentals. (5/13/2009)
• USDA Throws a Curveball in Corn Numbers
  The USDA Crop Production reports released this morning hold many surprises, according to Jerry Gulke, Strategic Marketing Services Owner and Top Producer columnist, and Bill Biedermann, Senior Vice President for Allendale, Inc. (5/12/2009)
• Energy Report: Economy is Bottoming?
  Bottom''s up. A toast to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke who says the economy is bottoming and should turn up by the end of the year. I will drink to that. (5/6/2009)
• Energy Report: Bears Trapped?
  If the fundamentals on oil are so bearish then why did oil close at a new high for the year? Oil bears be on guard as the fundamentals in the oil market are transcending traditional measures of supply and demand. (5/5/2009)
• World Economic Situation Affecting Many Facets of Ag
  During Informa Economics’ recent Grain and Oilseed Transportation Conference in Memphis, Tenn., the world economic situation was a hot topic. (5/5/2009)
• Energy Report: H1N1 and Oil Prices
  Pandemically speaking. If you cannot get filled on your oil trade when a worldwide pandemic breaks out when can you? Boy, I take a vacation and looks like the world is coming to an end. (5/4/2009)
• Energy Report: April Showers bring May Flowers?
  The Grain complex had an overdue rally yesterday. Weather Swine Flu and an oversold market contributed to this rally. (5/1/2009)
• Guard Against Troubled Banks
  Stories from the Denver Post this month tell of a grim reality for struggling banks, and their customers, across the country. (5/1/2009)
• Swine Flu Could Be Long-Term Headache
  Swine flu, planting progress and acreage indecision are capturing the attention of Top Producer Market Strategy Columnist Jerry Gulke. (4/29/2009)
• Corn Supply Hit
  Short South America crop buoys price (4/29/2009)
• Oil Overflowing as Demand Drops
  Demand has been rationed not just for ag commodities, but for energy as well. Global oil demand, which was supposed to grow unabated, has stalled, says Phil Flynn, vice president and energy analyst with Alaron Futures and Options. (4/27/2009)
• No Eastern Progress Expected for Another Week
  Spring rain and thunderstorms pounded much of the Midwest this weekend, adding to already wet conditions across some areas. However, it’s not time to panic, according to two leading meteorologists. (4/27/2009)
• Cost-Cutting Mistakes
  A budget scalpel can help you avoid these errors (4/24/2009)
• Energy Report: Conoco Phillips Losing Money
  We have more oil than we know what to do with yet the oil market keeps hanging in there! (4/24/2009)
• Strength in Numbers
  How individuals became an unstoppable force (4/22/2009)
• Natural Gas (and Fertilizer?) Could Head Up
  A technical trading company, VantagePoint, provided the chart shown here. When the blue line (forecast) crossed below the black line (actual), they predicted the market would trend down. (4/17/2009)
• Long-Term Grain Demand Looks Strong
  Population growth and increasing per capita consumption should push grain demand over the next decade and a half, says Rich Pottorff, Doane Agricultural Services chief economist. (4/13/2009)
• Industry Event: Ag Markets Workshop
  Mark your calendar for an upcoming Ag Markets Workshop, sponsored by the University of Illinois Office for Futures and Options. (4/13/2009)
• Gulke Advises to Watch the Market Close
  Jerry Gulke, owner of Strategic Marketing Services and Top Producer columnist, says farmers need to watch how the markets close today, following USDA’s Supply and Demand Report. (4/9/2009)
• Retire On Grain
  In the March 2009 issue of Top Producer, tax consultant Lance Fulton with Kennedy & Coe offered a unique plan for building a retirement fund with grain while also reducing the burden of paying self-employment tax on that grain in the article Pay Less at Tax Time. (4/2/2009)
• Weather Forecast for Spring Planting
  With severe flooding in the Red River Valley and Upper Missouri River Valley, farmers are casting a weary eye to the weather for the upcoming 2009 planting season. (3/30/2009)
• USDA Report Insight
  Top Producer has gathered several agricultural economists and marketing specialists to provide pre-report and post-report analysis on the March 31 Grain Stocks and Prospective Planting USDA reports. Check back often as more audio analysis will be added Friday, Monday and Tuesday. (3/27/2009)
• Pre-Planting & Weather Outlook Webinar Replay
  View the March 25 webinar on Pre-Planting and Weather Outlook. (3/25/2009)
• Assess Financial Health
  Key ratios help take a business partner’s pulse (3/19/2009)
• Some Assembly Required
  As the boss, It’s your job to help employees develop and grow (3/18/2009)
• Price fireworks?
  If you are betting on catching summer weather rallies, don’t bet on them post–July 4, cautions Kevin McNew, president of Cash Grain Bids. (3/13/2009)
• Get the Red Out
  Revenue insurance plus price protection reduces losses (3/12/2009)
• More protection against yield loss

  New policy protects against shortfall on delivery contracts.

  (3/11/2009)
• Economic Factors Influencing Your Farm
  What factors are affecting your farm’s bottom line in the current economy? Look beyond the farm gate, says Ron Plain, University of Missouri agricultural economics professor. (3/11/2009)
• Utterback: Make Your Fertilizer Game Plan
  Where are fertilizer prices headed? How should farmer prepare for this season? Listen in as Farm Journal Economist Bob Utterback provides insight to the volatile fertilizer industry. (3/9/2009)
• Changes in Crop Insurance Options
  Iowa State University Farm Management Specialist Steve Johnson offers some tips on determining which Crop Insurance options to choose for 2009. (3/5/2009)
• Webinar: Planting Weather and Fertilizer Outlook
  Register for an upcoming free Webinar that will help you plan your acreage mix for 2009. (3/5/2009)
• Second best year?
  In many ways, 2009 won''t match last year, but results shouldn''t be overly disappointing, according to USDA''s Ag Outlook Conference.  (2/28/2009)
• Don't ignore ACRE
  New ACRE program is worth a look (2/28/2009)
• A year of comfortable supplies
  Acreage of the eight major crops will be down, but supplies promise to be plenty to meet demand. (2/28/2009)
• Shorter Depreciation Period
  As part of the stimulus package, farm equipment placed in service during 2009 will qualify for a five-year depreciation schedule. (2/26/2009)
• Don't Fall Into the Gap
  Does your insurance cover today’s asset values?
  (2/25/2009)
• Media Blitz Forces USSF Formation
  A major point of contention that has been building between the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the United Soybean Board (USB) is the continued media campaign since ASA’s call for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to conduct an investigation of USB activities. (2/25/2009)
• Illinois Calls for Soy Cooperation
  The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) has passed a resolution it will present this week at the American Soybean Association’s (ASA) annual meeting in Grapevine, Texas. (2/25/2009)
• Positive Peer Pressure
  Speaking at the annual TEPAP (The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers) conference in Austin, Texas, Danny Klinefelter, Texas A&M economist, pointed out several instances where peer groups and business networks can benefit farmers. (2/24/2009)
• Acreage Game of Chicken
  The much ballyhooed acreage battle of 2009 may be a game of chicken. High fertilizer prices and tanking commodity prices are on a head-on collision course and farmers are stuck in the middle because something has to be planted soon. (2/23/2009)
• John Deere Stretches Planters to 120’
  Big planter stretches the company’s booth at National Farm Machinery Show (2/18/2009)
• Ethanol Shifts Coming
  The ethanol industry should prepare for a shake-out year in 2009, says Jim Murphy, senior consultant with Context Network, an agribusiness management consulting firm, who spoke at the 2009 Top Producer Seminar. (2/9/2009)
• Select Presentations from the 2009 Top Producer Seminar
  View select speaker presentations from the 2009 Top Producer Seminar. (1/27/2009)
• Top Producer of the Year Winner: Lon Frahm
  Congratulations to Lon Frahm, a farmer from Colby, Kan. He was named the 2009 Top Producer of the Year during the Top Producer Seminar in Chicago, Ill. (1/23/2009)
• Monitor Maximizes Stored Grain
  Of the average farmers who have storage, only about 5% have monitoring systems, says Bruce Scott, COO for Integris, USA. “There are a lot of producers who are missing out on maximizing the value of stored grain because they don’t utilize an advanced grain management system,” Scott says. (1/22/2009)
• No Acreage Worries?
  Corn can afford to lose two to three million acres this year, Jerry Gulke of Strategic Marketing Services told the attendees at the Top Producer Seminar. (1/22/2009)
• Finding Agriculture’s Ethical Limit
  During a heated discussion yesterday, three varying perspectives discussed ethics in farm county during the Top Producer Seminar. (1/22/2009)
• A Look Back and Forward for Ag Policy
  What will be in store for the next group of leaders at USDA? What obstacles will they need to overcome? Floyd Gaibler, the Deputy Under Secretary of the Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service under the Bush Administration, says the last few years in ag policy have not been easy, and the future appears to also hold challenges. (1/22/2009)
• Audio Reports from the Young Farmer Program
  Listen to Jason Topp, a farmer from North Dakota, and Rob Barley, of Star Rock Farms in Pennsylvania, as they discuss their views on the first-ever Top Producer Young Farmer Program. (1/21/2009)
• Advice for the Young
  What does a young farmer need to know to be successful? How can they prepare for the future? (1/21/2009)
• Embrace Marketing to Brace Against Change
  Yesterday marked a moment of monumental change in America with the inauguration of President Barack Obama, and there is huge change ahead for agriculture, says Bill Biedermann, Allendale, Inc. Biedermann spoke at Top Producers Young Farmer Program this week in Chicago. (1/21/2009)
• Pressure on Old-Crop Corn Price
  Not only has fuel demand fallen, but ethanol price is 75¢ over that of regular unleaded gas, pointed out Bill Biedermann of Allendale at the Top Producer Young Farmer Seminar. (1/21/2009)
• Is Your Accountant Up to Snuff?
  At the Top Producer Young Farmer Seminar, Lance Fulton of Kennedy & Coe listed five things you should expect of your accountant. (1/20/2009)
• Record Crowd Attending Annual Top Producer Seminar
  A record number of the nation’s most profitable farmers will visit Chicago this week to attend Top Producer’s annual seminar. (1/19/2009)
• Exclusive Tour of The Gulke Group at CBOT
  Join the inaugural trip to the Gulke Group''s new offices at the Chicago Board of Trade. (1/18/2009)
• Get Ready for the 2009 Top Producer Seminar
  The 2009 Top Producer Seminar kicks off on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the Hotel Intercontinental in Chicago, Ill. (1/15/2009)
• How Sound Are Your Business Partners?
  (1/8/2009)
• Russia-Ukraine Gas Dispute Could Affect U.S. Fertilizer Supply
  Due to a pricing dispute... (1/8/2009)
• Tax Changes that Affect You
  Now is the time to be planning... (1/8/2009)
• 2008: Top Ten Ag-Related Job Openings
  AgCareers.com, an online job board and human resource service provider for agriculture, food, natural resources and biotechnology, recently released their Top Ten Career Types for 2008. (1/8/2009)
• Help With Lease Terms
  With the start of a new year, now is a good time to reassess and rewrite your land leases. (1/5/2009)
• New Flexibility for Cash Rents?
  Iowa State University Extension Economist Steven Johnson believes the Farm Service Administration (FSA) will loosen regulations for renters who use flex lease agreements. (12/23/2008)
• Advisers Stress Cash Sales Now
  Futures and options take a back seat due to volatility (12/19/2008)
• More Evidence the Land Market is Weakening
  Land sales demand has softened, according to Jim Farrell, president and CEO of Farmers National Company in Omaha, Neb. (12/19/2008)
• Stray Dogs of Credit
  Credit may be available for ag producers even in this dicey economy but lenders will be dumping shaky borrowers, says Dave Kohl, agriculture and applied economics professor emeritus at Virginia Tech University. (11/21/2008)
• Is an outside president best?
  As family businesses grow, the hope most often is that subsequent generations of the family will step into management shoes. But that’s not always the best solution for the business, says Henry Landes of the Delaware Valley Family Business Center (DVFBC). (10/31/2008)
• Register for the 2009 Top Producer Seminar
  Don''t miss this event... (10/14/2008)
• Iowa Corn Finishes Strong
  Despite its wet, late start, Iowa’s corn crop looks good as harvest begins, and a damaging early frost failed to materialize. (10/6/2008)
• Farmers More Confident in Own Farms than Overall Farm Economy
  A tracking survey shows farmers are starting to feel apprehension over sliding commodity prices (10/1/2008)
• Storms Keep Coming for Fertilizer Industry
  Fertilizer facilities in Texas and Louisiana may have weathered Hurricane Ike (9/30/2008)
• Five Ways to Protect Your Farm in the Economy Crunch
  (9/30/2008)
• Get Help Without Crop Insurance
  Famers dealing with weather losses have a rare opportunity thanks to the delay in passing the 2008 farm bill. (7/21/2008)
• Key Crop Insurance Tips
  Johnson says farmers throughout Iowa and the Midwest have questions about their crop insurance coverage options and he offers three basic steps for farmers who are pondering their next steps in relation to crop insurance: (6/30/2008)
• Iowa Floods Claim Significant Acres
  Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says Iowa needs sunshine for the crop already planted and to dry fields so farmers can at least salvage some soybean acres.

  (6/12/2008)
• Exclusive First Look at Policy Recommendations for a National Carbon Market
  (5/23/2008)
• Georgia’s Acreage Still Up For Grabs
  (4/25/2008)
• Ethanol Snapshot
  Find up-to-date information about the U.S. ethanol industry, courtesy of the Renewable Fuels Association. (3/3/2008)
• Big Money for Biofuels
  The U.S. Department of Energy dedicates $33.8 million to renewable fuel research. (2/29/2008)
• Argentina’s Pesticide Problem
  Thriving agriculture in Argentina causes serious health risks. (2/28/2008)
• More Beans in Brazil
  Predicted increase for Brazil''s soybean acres in 2008. (2/27/2008)